Iverson coming for ‘real’ game

Former NBA star Allen Iverson, known as the Answer, is coming to town with a band of high-flying streetballers and ex-pros for clinics, campus/mall tours and a “real” game to be played at the Mall of Asia Arena on Nov. 5 for the benefit of Gawad Kalinga.

Iverson, 39, will coach the pick-up squad and not play. But a source said if he gets the urge to lace up, there won’t be stopping the Answer who averaged 26.7 points in 914 NBA regular season games from 1996-97 to 2009-10. The six-foot guard from Georgetown University was the NBA’s MVP in 2001 and led the league in scoring in four seasons. He was also voted MVP in two All-Star Games. On the court, Iverson was often unstoppable with an unreal ability to find ways to score from different angles and spots.

Sports agent Sheryl Reyes said Iverson has signed a contract to appear in Manila. “AI is definitely arriving on Nov. 3,” said Reyes who also represents NBA veteran Stephon Marbury. “He won’t be playing. Instead, he’ll be coaching. We understand that AI is being groomed to join the coaching staff of the Philadelphia 76ers so this is a learning experience for him. He’s looking forward to interacting with Filipino fans whom he knows to be very passionate about basketball.”

Read also: Iverson Manila tour tickets out on Aug. 2

Reyes said negotiating with Iverson wasn’t difficult. “He agreed to a very affordable fee because this is for a good cause,” she said. “We explained to AI what Gawad Kalinga is about and he supports the concept. He has agreed to do mall and campus tours. The main event will be the game at the MOA Arena. We’re hoping to assemble an All-Star team of UAAP and NCAA players to go up against the visitors. This won’t be a practice. This will be a real game.”

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Reyes said the project won’t involve politics. “AI agreed to do this project only if there are no politicians,” she said. “He wants to help out Gawad Kalinga and basketball is his vehicle.” This will be AI’s second trip to Manila. He was here with his mother Ann in 1998.

Six freestylers from the Ball-Up team are arriving with Iverson. They are 6-2 Taurian (Air Up There) Fontenette, 6-0 Larry (Bone Collector) Williams, 6-5 Anthony (Mr. Afrika) Pimble, 6-3 Aaron (AO) Owens, 6-6 Gary (G) Smith and 5-10 Grayson (The Professor) Boucher. The six streetballers are known all over the world for their incredible hardcourt moves. Fontenette, 31, is a dunk artist whose amazing repertoire includes a 720-degree twin-spin slam and a 360-degree between-the-legs reverse. Aside from “Air Up There,” Fontennette is also known as “The Human Pogo Stick,” “Way Up There,” “Your Highness” and “Mr. 720.”

Williams once challenged Iverson to a 1-on-1 duel and the Answer supposedly backed down. The “Bone Collector” was once MVP of the Rucker Park League in New York. Pimble, 29, played with the University of Southern Indiana varsity and made a name for himself as a Bronx streetballer with And1 and Streetball Lab. Owens, 40, played with Rasheed Wallace and Aaron McKie at Simon Gratz High School and his showboating antics made him a tour byword in China where a huge billboard was once put up in his honor.

Smith won the Ball-Up dunk competition in 2012 on the Fox Sports Network and is famous for his reverse between-the-legs dunk coming down the baseline with a pick-up of the ball rebounding from the side of the board. His creativity in manufacturing dunks is unmatched. Finally, there is “The Professor.” Boucher, 30, has immortalized his moves in website instructionals and even via an iPhone app where he calls the Streetball Class in session.

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Aside from the six streetballers, Iverson will bring in former NBA players. There is no confirmation as to who will be added to Iverson’s squad but high on the invited list are 7-0 center Eddy Curry and 6-3 Steve Francis. Curry, 31, was the Chicago Bulls’ first round pick in 2001 and has played in 11 NBA seasons with the Bulls, New York, Miami and Dallas. Francis, 37, was the Vancouver Grizzlies’ first round pick in 1999 and played in nine NBA seasons with Houston, Orlando and New York.

Iverson, a freestyle streetballer himself, is cut out for the role as coach. The six streetballers play without restrictions and that’s probably why they never made it to the NBA. They’re entertainers and basketball wizards who like to put on a show. The addition of the NBA players provides sanity to the team on the floor. Reyes said the game will be unlike any game ever played in the Philippines before and is a must-see.

 Iverson played two years with the Georgetown varsity then was the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He never averaged less than double figures in scoring in 14 NBA seasons, moving from Philadelphia to Denver to Detroit to Memphis and finally, back to Philadelphia for the 2009-10 season before being waived. Iverson hit at least 30 points a game in four seasons with 33.0 his highest clip in 2005-06.

In 2004, Iverson played on the US squad that took the bronze medal at the Athens Olympics. His teammates included Marbury, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carlos Boozer and Carmelo Anthony. The US lost twice in the preliminaries, 92-73 to Puerto Rico and 94-90 to Lithuania then crushed Spain, 102-94, in the quarters before bowing to eventual gold medalist Argentina, 89-81, in the semis. In the battle for third, the US got back at Lithuania, 104-96.