Iverson hosts his celebrity charity game at Temple
In addition to the physical feats he accomplished as an NBA star despite his sub-6-foot stature, another of Allen Iverson's special talents was the ability to capture the attention and adoration of nearly every race, age, and gender.
In addition to the physical feats he accomplished as an NBA star despite his sub-6-foot stature, another of Allen Iverson's special talents was the ability to capture the attention and adoration of nearly every race, age, and gender.
The depth of the soon-to-be Hall of Famer's fandom was on display Friday night at the 2016 Allen Iverson Celebrity Summer Classic at Temple's Liacouras Center.
Iverson, who will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 9, was joined on the court by former NBA players such as Rasheed Wallace, Larry Hughes, Jerome Williams, and Jumaine Jones. Other celebrities in attendance included boxer Danny Garcia and actor Clifton Powell.
Julius "Dr. J" Erving, among others, sat courtside.
All eyes, however, in the crowd of roughly 3,000 to 4,000 were on Iverson, the No. 1 overall pick out of Georgetown by the 76ers in the 1996 draft who left fans with too many memories to count.
Aska Cheung, who was born in Hong Kong and now attends the University of Miami, recalled his favorite.
"When he crossed [Michael] Jordan!" the 21-year-old said, standing by two friends he was in town to visit and referring to a dribble move.
Brandon Ross, 22, from Woodbridge, N.J., picked what has become an iconic moment in Sixers lore.
"When he crossed over [Tyronn] Lue, and then stepped over him!" said Ross, who wore a gray Iverson jersey from his days at Georgetown.
Ross even had a picture of Iverson stepping over Lue in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers as the background photo on his phone.
A portion of the proceeds from Friday night's game will benefit the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia and the iChooseLife Foundation.
Members of PAL played during halftime Friday.
Nasif Ennis, 15, who will be a sophomore at Del-Val Charter, played Friday. He also chose Iverson's crossover of Michael Jordan in 1997 as his favorite Iverson moment.
After the game, Iverson was asked about his one defining moment with the Sixers.
"Getting drafted," he said. "That's it. From all the hardships, and all the things that I've been through, this was God's gift to me."
Later, he added: "Philadelphia gave me an opportunity, and trusted me."
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