There’s only one Allen Iverson. A legendary scorer at 6 feet and a phenomenal ball handler, The Answer was not only skilled in the game but had an awe-inspiring persona that made an impact on people. Be it Shaquille O’Neal or a fan, everyone was inspired by Iverson. On the other hand, some just wanted to be acknowledged by the Philadelphia 76ers star. One such admirer was Heat legend Udonis Haslem, who didn’t hesitate to go the extra mile to earn The Answer’s approval.

During a recent episode of ‘The OG’s’ podcast, Haslem and Mike Miller hosted special guest Andre Iguodala. Speaking of the former guard to Iguodala, Haslem recounted an old story at a casino in Vegas where he had his first conversation with Iverson. But that did not happen without him putting in some effort.

He recalled that he didn’t even know what game Iverson was playing, however, he spent an hour watching him play just so the basketball legend would come up at the end and have a conversation with him. “I literally stood there and watched AI play for an hour; not understanding the game, I just wanted him to acknowledge me,” Haslem said. He added that he didn’t even notice when his former teammate Antoine Walker walked out.

While that might not sound significant to many, for Haslem who said he grew up watching Iverson and hoping to become the influential power he was, it was a huge fan moment. “He was just huge for our culture so for me that was the first time I got a chance to meet AI. I had my little fan moment, I don’t have too many fan moments but like you say AI was a goon. He’s everything that I wanted to be and everything that I kind of looked up to in my neighborhood growing up,” Haslem added.

The Heat legend once also detailed the instance of being in the trade talks involving Iverson and having mixed feelings about it.

Udonis Haslem wasn’t sure of Dwyane Wade and Allen Iverson duo

The Answer was incredible and single-handedly led the 76ers. But back in 2006, there was seemingly a conflict between the two parties. And it might have been around this time when chatter involving Iverson’s trade to the Miami Heat began. In an episode of ‘The OG’s’ podcast, Haslem recalled that the Heat considered trading him to bring Iverson, however, he didn’t mention the exact time.

“My name got thrown in that hat a little bit, and I was all shook up. D-Wade was like, ‘Man, that’s Allen Iverson,” he recalled. While Dwyane Wade teaming up with his idol Iverson was promising, he didn’t feel confident about it. He was upset about the idea of his time with the Heat being cut short. Haslem couldn’t argue, however; after all, it was Iverson as he felt. 

“But once again, I don’t know if the dynamics with him and Dwyane would’ve worked at that time. My a** was almost outta there, and how can I argue if you bring in Allen Iverson? I gotta go. It sounds good, but I still had that little feeling,” Haslem said. Fortunately, Haslem stayed with the Heat until the end of his career.