After playing 14 years in the NBA, he might have missed out on winning a championship and lost most of his hard-earned money, but one thing Allen Iverson still didn’t lose is his fans.
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The Philadelphia 76ers’ legendary guard was a true sensation, the one who made people believe it was possible for a 6-footer to be the face of a franchise and even the NBA.
Since the day he came in as the #1 pick in 1996 in a Draft full of future stars, Iverson started doing things that were never done before his arrival. Apart from his game and his style, his fans loved him for being the most authentic superstar. Even the fans of opposition teams came to see AI.
Such was his charm that even if he would cross over their favorite players at their home court, fans’ love didn’t turn to hate. And to this day, he never has it easy whenever he sets foot outside his house, but still, Iverson would not have it any other way.
Allen Iverson loves being him
Recently, LeBron James said he wants to live a common man’s life far from all his popularity and the noise whenever he is anywhere apart from his home. Iverson, though, likes it the way it has been for him, for more than a quarter of a century.
“Every day is a struggle for me leaving out of the house. But I love going to Publix. I love going to Walmart. I love it. It’s just a great feeling,” Iverson told in an interview with Andscape during the recently concluded All-Star weekend.
“And I’m not going to let anybody take it away from me. I love being Allen Iverson. If I die today, I want to come back and be me all over again.”
This must be something good to hear for AI fans, who barely get to hear anything remotely good about the 11x All-Star since his retirement in 2011.
And maybe they would not second guess themselves before they approach Iverson whenever they see him in Walmart or Publix from now on.
AI was the fans’ favorite baller over Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in their primes
Kobe and Shaq became the most popular players throughout the world when they did a Championship three-peat with the Lakers at the turn of the century.
It was almost impossible to be more popular than a mind-blowing duo playing in LA, but 6ft tall Iverson had enough aura to pull that off. AI’s jerseys and sneakers were more popular in the United States than any other player, for the most part of the 2010s.
Even 50 years from now, one thing is certain, whenever an NBA player crosses over somebody on the hardwood or puts on a headband on his dreadlocks, the NBA community will never forget Allen Iverson.
