It’s hard not to be a Michael Jordan fan especially when you were raised in the 80s and 90s. Allen Iverson fell smack-dab in the middle of MJ’s reign making him a massive fan. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise. His fandom even led to some hilariously testy moments between him and his friends.
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Iverson has spoken about Jordan several times over the years, including as recently as earlier this month, when in an interview with CBS, he said, “I think I am the biggest Michael Jordan fan in the world.” In act, the Hall of Famer is ready to fight for this claim. He stated how he’d argue with anyone to prove that no one loves the Chicago Bulls icon more than him.
Both have played in the NBA around the same time and stamped their authorities as two of the most influential athletes ever. So, it’s normal that they’ve met several times. But even to this day, he gets nervous around Jordan.
Iverson recalled traveling to a Charlotte Hornets game that Jordan had invited him to. There, he was fawning over Jordan — owner of the franchise between 2010 and 2023 — so much that his friends pulled him aside and asked him to tone it down.
“[They said], ‘You’re embarrassing the hell of out us,’ and was like, ‘Chuck… you are embarrassing the hell out of us man. It’s like, you’re a superstar too man. Don’t do this'”
Iverson’s friends were right in a sense, but the intriguing part was figuring out what someone as big as Iverson could have possibly done to go that far over the top. That’s what the former MVP answered next.
“Just you know man, ‘You know how much I love you,’ and this story and that story, and ‘This is what you mean to me’, and ‘I always looked at you. You look like a superhero on the basketball court,’ and ‘I always wanted to look like a superhero like you…”
Iverson went as far as telling MJ that he wanted to have the same flavors he liked. He also adjusted his headbands and wristbands like MJ would, and even matched his shoes with his uniforms.
Admittedly, these are things millions would say to MJ if they had the chance. But it’s rare for basketball stars to gush over someone in the same profession the way Iverson did about MJ. That said, it’s not like Iverson didn’t carve out his own personality either.
There’s a reason so many young kids across the country looked up to the 76ers legend in the early 2000s. His style of play resonated with smaller basketball players and challenged the tradition of bigger, more physical men dominating the game. His braided hair and loose shorts also perfectly captured the blend of hip-hop culture and basketball.
“Yes, I wanted to be like Mike, basketball-wise, but I didn’t want to be Mike,” Iverson said.“I wanted to be my own version of me. I am happy with who I am, and then why would you want to be somebody else anyway? Everybody else is taken up.”
That’s why many are MJ fans. But Iverson is perhaps the only superfan who has a Hall of Fame induction himself.
