Michael Jordan has inspired a whole generation of players. He was one of the first athletes to break the barriers of what a superstar can be. From movies to commercials, MJ had all the flair that made people look up to him. Among the millions of kids who wanted to be like him and looked up to him, was a future NBA MVP.
Anyone who underestimated The Answer for his height has only regretted it. He was a 6-foot-tall, unstoppable shooting guard. His obsession with the game made him a great player who could go head-to-head against anyone. But when he was young, his love for Jordan products made him lie so that he could have his hands on them.
Allen Iverson lied to his coaches to feel like Jordan
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
During his interview with GQ, Allen Iverson talked about Jordan’s influence on him. The 2001 NBA MVP has always talked about how much he has looked up to Michael Jordan. But what people might not know about is AI’s love for shoes.
Iverson played two seasons at Georgetown before making it to the league. Fortunately for Iverson, Nike sponsored the team, so they were given Nike products.
The Jordan 11s were released in 1995. That was Iverson’s last year in college. So at the time the players were given the new Jordan 11s to play in. With Michael Jordan as his idol, he wanted to be just like him, and he felt like the shoes made him unstoppable.
Iverson said, “When I knew we were wearing them, it was a wrap; I felt like a superhero“. So for him, the shoes made him feel like he was Jordan.
With his love for Jordan and shoes, Iverson constantly tried his best to get as many pairs as he could of the shoes. So in order to get more of the Jordan 11s, Iverson constantly kept lying and deceiving his coaches, saying that the shoes were ripped or getting worn out.
Iverson wanted to be like Michael Jordan
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Iverson has always talked about how much he loves Michael Jordan. That was his idol and he wanted to be just like him. During the interview, he went into detail on it. The Answer said, “I wanted to be like Mike fosho, just like the commercial, I really actually felt like that. When the commercial came, I was like, Yeah, me too.“
Jordan was definitely a goal for Iverson. So when a rookie Iverson got the chance to go up against Jordan, he did not waste his opportunity as he crossed him over and scored on him.
Years later, when AI was talking to the Bulls legend about how much he loved him, Jordan still kept getting crossed by him in his mind and replied that if AI loved him enough, then he would not have crossed him like that.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Perhaps that’s why they say to never meet your heroes!
Watch This Story: Shaquille O?Neal and Charles Barkley?s Fan Favorite Show Promises Nikola Jokic?s 1.93-Billion Worth Team the Deion Sanders-Colorado Like-Treatment