NBA legend Allen Iverson is an icon. When the former No. 1 overall pick and 2001 NBA MVP does appearances the masses tend to show up. Known for his toughness, heart and passion for the game, fans have always resonated heavily with the former Georgetown Hoyas standout.
Iverson recently did meet-and-greet in Melbourne Australia, and the guy also known as “The Answer” left a sour taste in the mouths of the children and their families. One kid, Eli Stevenson, who’s battling cancer even took things farther telling Australia’s 10 News saying:
“He’s a jerk.”
Stevenson Wasn’t Done And Mom Also Chimed In
Clearly upset and very disappointed Stevenson didn’t stop there he continued.
“We were all told that we could get the chance to get stuff signed. So I brought one of my jerseys, a basketball, my sister brought her basketball,” said Stevenson. “Basically everyone brought heaps of stuff to get signed and none of it got signed. … There was heaps of other kids from Challenge, too. … His management said we could take a photo and then we had to get out. He didn’t say anything. They said he wasn’t in the mood for it that day. Pretty disappointed.”
Stevenson’s mom mentioned that all participants were told they’d get somewhere between 20-40 minutes with Iverson. They were also promised a session where he’d sign memorabilia and even talk to the patients. That never happened, and Iverson only took pictures with the kids, forcing Challenge CEO David Rogers to say this.
“Iverson ultimately let down the children and families who came to meet him.”
Iverson Blamed Lack Of Energy On Time Zone Change
Speaking in an interview about the situation, the 11-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection attempted to justify his actions.
“It’s tough, man. I’ve been here 10 days and the adjustment has been tough on me,” he said. “You know, the time changes. We’ve been here, we’ve been on the plane like four times. So, you know, it’s a different time from, you know, at home.”
Andrew Bogut Calls Out Iverson
It didn’t take long for native Australian and former NBA No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut to respond to let Iverson know what he did was unacceptable.
Bogut took to his X account to give his opinion:
“Current/former NBA player did a tour of Australia and treated people poorly and didn’t fulfill appointments and obligations. In other news the sky is blue. Absolute sh-t human. No excuses for this. If anyone knows this family pls reach out.”
As of Friday, Iverson’s team hadn’t reached out to Bogut, and it’s highly unlikely they will.
