NBA MEET & GREET WITH ALLEN IVERSON
NBA MEET & GREET WITH ALLEN IVERSON
On Tuesday the 14th of March, the Foot Locker Brixton store in London was pleased to welcome former NBA player Allen Iverson for a private M&G session for 50 of our basketball community members. As part of an EMEA tour, Iverson stopped by London for a couple of days and, thanks to our longstanding partnership with the NBA, he also stopped by our local community store.
The event was hosted by none other than Mo Mooncey – host of the UK’s #1 basketball show, Hoops Genius – and featured a variety of engaging questions to the legendary “A.I.” or “The Answer” who has been a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame since 2016. Below are top questions asked by Mooncey and the audience, as we recap the session:
Who influenced your style off the court?
A: Me just being me. I think the easiest thing in the world to do is be yourself, I think that’s what makes me comfortable, just being myself. I wanted to be like Mike [Michael Jordan] on the basketball court, but off the court I always loved the person that I am uniquely.
Who was the hardest player to guard in your career?
A: Throughout my career, I never had anybody really destroying me, but man – Kevin [Magic] Johnson. I mean, he was stronger than me but I was quicker and could jump higher than him, I was even more athletic than him… but his mind, his basketball mind, he just outclassed me, and back-dooring me. He just knew the game more than I did – he outsmarted me!
All time starting 5
A: Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Shaquille O'Neal
Current NBA favourites
Steph Curry, Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant – they could all go back into my era and have played!
Who do you listen to get into Game Mode?
Michael Jackson!
How do you have the ability to play through all of the injuries and pain and how were you able to still perform at such a level?
I wish I had a more definitive answer, because I do remember days where I would wake up 9AM and having a hard time walking to the bathroom. Then getting to the arena on game day, and looking at the guys in the locker room- the adrenaline just hits and you start to hear the crowd in there, and you know it’s game time.
Allen Iverson has made an indelible impact on sports and culture, inspiring countless basketball players throughout the last 25 years and considered a favourite player of many current NBA stars. It was an honour to host Iverson at the Foot Locker Brixton store to connect with our local baller community as we continue to Raise The Game in London and wider UK.
