Allen Iverson (Picture) walked to the podium Friday night wearing enough jewellery for everyone in the interview room.
His diamond earrings and huge gold chains sparkled like they were still the property of the jeweller. But the former 76ers great made it known that his favourite piece of jewellery was the Basketball Hall of Fame ring he donned on his left ring finger.
So the obvious question was if and when would the September inductee take the ring off. “When I get in the shower,” Iverson said. “It’s a part of my outfit now.”
He would leave home minus the ring shortly after receiving it during the Hall of Fame weekend.
“Me and (one of his friends) used to have to turn around and get it, because I wasn’t used to wearing it all the time,” Iverson said. “But it’s definitely, out of all the jewelry I had in my life, my favorite.”
And being in Philadelphia with his fans is his favourite place to be outside of his hometown of Hampton, Va.
On Friday night, he got to celebrate his induction with the fans during his Hall of Fame Night at the Wells Fargo Center.
He started the night off by ringing the Liberty Bell before the Sixers’ starting lineup was introduced. Then the Sixers honoured him at halftime of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
There was a video tribute before Iverson was introduced to the crowd. He walked out to chants of “MVP!” The crowd erupted with a huge cheer once he held his hand to his ear. Then another Sixers great, Julius Erving, presented Iverson with his Hall of Fame jacket before Iverson addressed the crowd.
“I don’t think you all understand how much I love you,” Iverson said. “Till death do us part, for real.”
Iverson also mentioned how he would not have been able to play under restricted minutes or take games off. The Sixers are bringing Joel Embiid along slowly after he missed the last two seasons with a broken right foot. He has sat out nine games and has just recently been permitted to play up to 28 minutes in the ones he plays.
“I’m not taking anything away from the new era and way things go now, but I could never, ever, ever sit out a game if something wasn’t broke,” he said. “I couldn’t do it, because I thought about you all wanted to see me. I always wanted to put on a show.”
Iverson was a nine-time all-star and perhaps the most popular Philadelphia sports figure in the last 25 years. He played with the Sixers from 1996 to 2006 and during the 2009-10 season. He also had stints with the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and Memphis Grizzlies. Iverson briefly played for Besiktas Milangaz of the Turkish Basketball League in 2010-11.
He averaged 26.7 points per game in his NBA career and carried the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001. A gritty player, Iverson embodied the city perhaps more than any other professional sports figure. That’s why he will forever be loved in this city. The love affair is mutual.
“It’s a relationship like no other,” Iverson said. “Honestly, I’ve never seen it before with anyone. Like I said before, the closest I’ve ever seen was what Mike Jordan had with the Chicago fans.
“These people I know they have a good idea of what they did by allowing me to grow up.”
Iverson said he was also thankful for fans allowing him to fall and get back up, allowing him to make mistakes and get through different obstacles, still supporting him.
