New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nThere\u2019s more Aussies in the NBA than ever before too, headlined by Giddey, who\u2019s in the midst of a breakout season for the Chicago Bulls. <\/p>\n
And Iverson has loved watching Giddey blossom in Chicago now that the 23-year old has the chance to lead his own team with the keys to the offence. <\/p>\n
\u201cI love Josh Giddey. What you see is basically like a bird being released, he\u2019s getting opportunity,\u201d Iverson told foxsports.com.au. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he could do all the things he\u2019s been doing, he just needed an opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see once he\u2019s been given the opportunity the things he can do out there, he\u2019s a special basketball player.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a lot of love for him and I\u2019m a big fan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen Iverson is visiting Australia for the first time (Photo by Paul Kane\/Getty Images)Source: Getty ImagesJosh Giddey in action (Photo by Kevin C. Cox \/ GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA \/ Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n
Asked how good Giddey can become, Iverson said: \u201cI think the sky is the limit. Because he\u2019s effective in every aspect on the basketball court. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not limited in too many areas, he\u2019s a walking triple-double. <\/p>\n
\u201cObviously he can affect the game in so many ways.\u201d <\/p>\n
Tuesday night\u2019s 45-minute eBay Live session was proof of the powerful crossover between global NBA culture and fandom in Australia with the booming collectables market.<\/p>\n
It saw a total of 13 NBA trading cards signed by Iverson during the show get auctioned off.<\/p>\n
The most expensive card, which featured Iverson on the cover of a Hoops Slam magazine, sold for $715.<\/p>\n
Allen Iverson during the eBay Live event.Source: FOX SPORTSAllen Iverson during the eBay Live event.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
The legendary guard has very much felt the love and appreciation Down Under, saying it\u2019s a \u201cbeautiful thing\u201d that \u201cnever gets old\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cMakes you feel like one of the chosen ones,\u201d Iverson said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a blessing to be able to have that type of impact on people and to be able to inspire people. It\u2019s a wonderful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the NBL and basketball in Australia continues to reach new levels and bridges the gap on other top leagues across the globe, Iverson says there\u2019s no bounds to how big the game can get Down Under.<\/p>\n
But he noted it\u2019s evolving everywhere else too. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as guys are being taught to play the game the right way, the sky is the limit,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe NBA is getting better and better and so is every league.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause everyone is learning so much and every league is just growing. The players want more and they want to get better. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see the evolution on every level of basketball worldwide. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the most important thing is guys believe their dreams can come true and they believe in being great.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think you can put no limit on what these guys can do if they put in the work and put in the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Allen Iverson poses with Perth Lynx and Bendigo Spirit players (Photo by James Worsfold\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Nicknamed \u2018The Answer\u2019, Iverson has been among the key drivers of the ever growing popularity of basketball around the world and in Australia. <\/p>\n
The former NBA MVP and 11-time All-Star shot to fame and the peak of his powers for the Philadelphia 76ers during basketball\u2019s global rise in the 1990s and 2000s. <\/p>\n
Iverson is regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, with his lethal crossover, breakneck speed with the ball and elite scoring abilities trademarks of his electrifying play style.<\/p>\n
He was also an influential icon for fashion in the game, from trendy streetwear fits to being the first player to popularise the arm sleeve trend accompanied with a head band.<\/p>\n
He made basketball cool. And has always done things in his own unique way, even if it\u2019s landed him in hot water every now and then. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s not lost on Iverson the far-reaching impact he\u2019s had on the game and the way he\u2019s inspired the next generation of players and fans in a legacy he puts down to how \u201cI stay true to myself\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing who I am, understanding who I am, loving who I am and appreciating everything God gave me. Just being comfortable in my own skin,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of people want to come out like that and express themselves the way they want, because it makes them comfortable and feel good about who they are. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard enough being who you want to be in life. It\u2019s extra hard to try and be someone else you\u2019re not. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think my legacy speaks for itself, man. I represent resiliency and trying to make my dreams come true, without offending anybody or whatever.<\/p>\n
\u201cFeeling good about who my family and friends love and recognise. I always say, the worst thing in the world for me is if I look in the eyes of people who love me and they\u2019re not able to recognise me anymore.\u201d <\/p>\n
Allen Iverson playing for the Philadelphia 76ersSource: AFP<\/p>\n
As for his favourite current NBA players, Iverson named Steph Curry, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Tyrese Maxey (noting \u201cI know people will think I\u2019m biased\u201d), Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic. <\/p>\n
Iverson has a soft spot for the \u201cyounger generation\u201d and says they \u201cinspire me\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love to be able to share my stories and share my ups and downs in life with those guys and always be there and be a shoulder for those guys to lean on anytime they want,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been several record-breaking eBay sales of other big-name NBA stars on trading cards in recent years in its own surge in popularity.<\/p>\n
It includes a 2004 Michael Jordan Upper Deck Exquisite Enshrinement Auto Collection purchased for a staggering $58,132.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile a Ben Simmons, 2016 Panini Flawless 25 #6 Gem Mint Rookie card went for $12,077.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NBA legend Allen Iverson says the \u201csky is the limit\u201d for Josh Giddey and where Australian basketball can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552010,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[5697,6170,1736,375,75661,208,748,10439,28816,7,8152,75663,26448,2643,75652,17570,64004,919,329,75659,206,75648,75650,133,75660,2116,75646,75655,75662,2048,75653,63236,5036,6,11,253,1734,1740,10430,11234,75658,75651,75656,75654,932,75657,1730,75649,28765,75647],"class_list":["post-552009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba-playoffs","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-allen-iverson","tag-america","tag-anthony-edwards","tag-arm-sleeve-trend","tag-atlanta-hawks","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-basketball","tag-basketball","tag-basketball-court","tag-basketball-icon","tag-ben-cotton","tag-ben-simmons","tag-booming-collectables-market","tag-breakout-season","tag-career-triple-double","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-bulls","tag-done-things","tag-dyson-daniels","tag-ebay-inc","tag-elite-scoring-abilities","tag-espn-inc","tag-exclusive-chat","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-head-band","tag-hoops-boom","tag-hoops-slam-magazine","tag-illinois","tag-james-worsfold","tag-kevin-c-cox","tag-melbourne","tag-nba","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oceania","tag-paul-kane","tag-record-breaking-ebay-sales","tag-scoring-abilities-trademarks","tag-special-basketball-player","tag-spirit-players","tag-steph-curry","tag-trendy-streetwear","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-ups-and-downs","tag-victoria","tag-worst-thing"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/552010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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