Allen Iverson is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history, but his impact went beyond just his play on the court. Iverson has gone down as a cultural icon for the way he dressed, his tattoos, and his appearance in general. He also famously went against the grain by not wearing suits to games, and spoke about that to Fits From The Streets.
"I ain't never went to the gym wearing a suit," Iverson said. "So why would I wear a suit to a game? To play basketball? I feel like it's not what's on the outerwear, it's that heart, man, it's who you are outside of the clothes. Clothes don't make nobody. That's how I've always been. That's why I was always against the dress code and all that.
"I know I had a lot to do with," Iverson continued. "I know I got it changed, but look at me, I took the a**-whopping for it, and now all of these years later, look at these guys out here.
"These guys got cornrows and tattoos, and dress the way they want to dress," Iverson added. "It’s a fashion show going in the game, and all that was from Allen Iverson taking an a**-whooping for it. And I'm cool with it. I got a better feeling for it being a positive way for me than a negative way for me. And I think the young dudes respect me and they love me for that."
Iverson, the first pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, is certainly one of the most respected and beloved former players. The 50-year-old brought that hip-hop culture to the NBA and took a figurative beating for it.
Iverson couldn't care less about suits and whatnot and believed in being true to oneself. That led to some clashes with former NBA commissioner David Stern. Stern famously instituted a dress code in 2005 because more and more players were being influenced by Iverson.
That dress code would only be relaxed after Adam Silver replaced Stern, and we see players today dress in extravagant ways. As Iverson stated, it's almost like a fashion show at times.
LeBron James Named Allen Iverson As One Of The Two Most Influential Players He Has Seen
LeBron James is one of many to have been inspired by Iverson. During an episode of his Mind the Game podcast, James named Iverson and Stephen Curry as the two most influential players he has seen.
"Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I’ve been watching and covering it," James said. "... Allen Iverson and Steph, they were just so relatable, and kids felt like they could be them. They were guys that were not always counted on, they were small in stature."
"You got AI who's like unbelievable crossover, cornrows, arm sleeve," James stated. "Everyone wears arm sleeves now because of Allen Iverson and he's going in the trenches, laying it up over bigs, whatever the case may be. And now you have Steph who's shooting over the Empire State Building.
"Those two are the two most influential when you say the game, how they changed the game, and the kids, and those are two guys that you want to watch every single night," James concluded.
Iverson, who stands at just 6 feet tall, averaged 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for his career. He was named MVP in 2001 and also won four scoring titles.
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