Hall of Famer Allen Iverson is in hot water with the Australian media for allegedly ignoring 12 children battling cancer during his visit to a cancer ward in Melbourne last Thursday.
According to a Reddit user, Iverson did not speak to any of the cancer patients or sign their merchandise, which was supposed to be part of the meet-and-greet arrangement, and instead, just took photos while keeping “his hands in his pockets.” The user also alleged that Iverson “did not smile” at any point during his appearance.
When Golden State Warriors legend Andrew Bogut got wind of Iverson’s alleged behavior, he let it rip at the 2001 NBA MVP via social media.
“Absolute s**t human,” Bogut said of Iverson. “No excuses for this. If anyone knows this family pls reach out.”
Other Aussie Athletes Rip Iverson
In another post, the 2015 NBA champion said he wasn’t surprised by Iverson’s actions.
“Current/former NBA player did a tour of Australia and treated people poorly and didn’t fulfill appointments and obligations,” wrote Bogut.
“In other news the sky is blue.”
Iverson was visiting Australia for several weeks to serve as the brand ambassador for HoopsFest, an event organized by the National Basketball League (NBL) in Perth. It turns out Iverson didn’t disappoint only cancer patients, but also rubbed many fans and NBL players the wrong way with his unprofessional behavior.
Bankstown Bruins guard Jason Cadee revealed that the 11-time NBA All-Star was very tardy with his appearances and rarely interacted with players or fans.
“First interview they asked him how Australia was or something and he just laughed, said ‘I haven’t left my room,” Cadee said, via FrontOffice Sports, calling Iverson’s tour to Australia “a s**t show.”
“I just felt it was really disappointing from someone that I really looked up to and I know a lot of people have.”
Iverson’s Alleged Behavior Causes Uproar
Iverson also no-showed a fan event in Perth, where several kids took a five-hour flight from Sydney to catch a glimpse of “The Answer,” according to two-time NBL MVP and former Dallas Mavericks center Chris Anstey.
“Kids have flown in from Sydney, come from everywhere. Only one problem: Iverson didn’t turn up,” Anstey said on IG. “Really really really disappointed for the kids including my young fellow who was reasonably distraught.”
The tardiness and unprofessionalism at fan events aside, Iverson’s actions at a cancer facility in Melbourne seem to have enraged the Australian media the most.
Per the aforementioned Reddit user, whose 12-year-old brother is battling ALCL lymphoma, Iverson was supposed to spend time with the kids between 10:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., but only appeared at 12:30 p.m. for a brief photograph.
“We went into the day being told we were going to get balls/jerseys and anything else we wanted signed and to think of questions we wanted to ask him. That did not happen.
“After we waited hours, his security firmly told us he is not signing anything at all, and we did not get to talk to him at all, he did not say a word to anyone.
“We were lined up and all the kids got was a photo, and he did not seem impressed about that.
“He had his hands in his pockets and did not smile or put his arm around any kids in any photos.”
The user added that one family made a six-hour journey to Melbourne and left the cancer ward “extremely sad” with Iverson’s behavior.
“He knew the kids were sick, and still did not put any effort or acknowledgement to that. Everyone was so disgusted in his behaviour, it was honestly so disappointing.
“…He seemed to think he was better than everyone else, and it was obvious he did not want to have anything to do with a group of sick kids.”
Allen Iverson and his representatives have yet to respond to the allegations.
NBA Champ Rips Allen Iverson for Ignoring Cancer Kids: ‘S**t Human’