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Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Meets His Idol Allen Iverson

Philadelphia 76ers legendary guard Allen Iverson is one of the most beloved former players these days. As Iverson avoided the path of coaching or joining the
Justin Grasso|
Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Meets His Idol Allen Iverson
Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo Meets His Idol Allen Iverson

Philadelphia 76ers legendary guard Allen Iverson is one of the most beloved former players these days. As Iverson avoided the path of coaching or joining the media and became an all-around fan of the game instead, the former NBA superstar has shown nothing but love for today's generation of players.

And Iverson's fandom isn't just limited to Sixers players. Sure, he's shown tons of support for former and current young 76ers standouts such as Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and more in the past, but Iverson's fandom goes beyond that.

A couple of weeks ago, when Iverson was in Cleveland, Ohio, for the 2022 NBA All-Star weekend, the former superstar guard ran into Boston Celtics standout Jayson Tatum. According to Tatum, Iverson showed support to the Sixers' rival, which he's done in the past.

Just the other night, Iverson tweeted out support for another young prospect. Following a Memphis Grizzlies matchup, Iverson posted a picture of his MVP award with Ja Morant's jersey hanging from it. Iverson captioned the photo saying, "Sooner or Later!!!". 

Love From the Greek Freak

Iverson isn't the only one showing love to the current generation of players either. During All-Star weekend, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo spotted Iverson and revealed to the Hall of Famer that he's the reason the Greek Freak is playing basketball these days.

"Allen Iverson!" said Antetokounmpo when he spotted the legendary Sixer. "I started playing basketball because of you!" he stated. "I started playing basketball because of you. I don't want to bother you. I just wanted to tell you that. I watched your story, I watched your documentary, and you said, 'I started playing basketball because of MJ.' I started playing basketball because of you! That's crazy."

While Antetokounmpo's a fan of Iverson's and started playing basketball because of him, the Bucks big man is building up quite the legacy for himself in today's game. With six All-Star nods, two MVP victories, an NBA Finals MVP, and many more accolades of his list of accomplishments, it's only a matter of time before Antetokounmpo is mentioned among the greats like Iverson.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_. 

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia

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