Hall of Famer Allen Iverson has been one of the most beloved figures in the basketball world for years, but he appears to have now rubbed many in Australia the wrong way with his recent actions. Iverson was a special guest at HoopsFest 2026, Australasia’s biggest basketball, culture, and lifestyle festival, and not only did he disappoint with his actions at the event, but also outside of it.
An individual with the username u/Fit-Tourist2852 on Reddit shared their experience with Iverson, and it’s not a pretty read.
“On the 22nd of January 2026, Allen Iverson came to Cavalo Prestige Melbourne to meet 12 kids who are battling cancer,” the user wrote. “The experience was organised by Challenge – Supporting kids with cancer, and Allen Iverson’s management team.
“My little brother, who is 12 years old and is currently receiving chemotherapy for ALCL lymphoma, was so excited to meet one of his idols,” the user continued. “He came out to be extremely disgusted and disappointed in Allen Iverson’s behaviour, and so were the other familys.”
They had been informed they’d all get to sit with Iverson at the start of the day, but that didn’t happen as he was sitting in the podcast room. The 50-year-old didn’t apologize for it either, with his security doing so instead. They were told that Iverson was having a bad day and didn’t want to come out.
“Shortly after, we were told to go upstairs to meet him, and we did not get to meet him,” the user stated. “He refused to allow parents in the room with him, which, quite frankly, is weird. Once we were directed upstairs, we were escorted to the side of the room while he was doing a news interview.
“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,” the user continued. “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,” the user added. “He had his hands in his pockets and did not smile or put his arm around any kids in any photos. He knew the kids were sick, and still did not put any effort or acknowledgement to that.”
The individual stated that one of the families had driven over six hours to meet Iverson. He gave off the impression that he was better than everyone else and didn’t want anything to do with these sick children.
This story went viral on social media and eventually came to the attention of former Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut. The Australian, unfortunately, stated on X on Monday that 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. In other news the sky is blue.”
Not long after, Bogut ripped Iverson and shared a link to that Reddit post.
“Absolute s*** human. No excuses for this. If anyone knows this family pls reach out.”
Bogut’s anger is justified. Even if Iverson were having a bad day, there is no excuse for acting like this. He could have given those kids one of the happiest days of their lives, and instead, this ended up being a day they would want to forget.
Australian Basketball Player On Allen Iverson’s Behavior At HoopsFest 2026
As for Iverson’s actions at HoopsFest 2026, held from January 15 to 18, Australian basketball player Jason Cadee spoke about it on the Cut To The Jase podcast.
“By the time I had landed, I had already heard how difficult he was being and how much of a s***show it was,” Cadee said. “Late to stuff, barely spoke, first interview they asked him how Australia was or something, and he just laughed and said ‘I haven’t left my room’. Just things where I’m like, ‘Why would you come if you’re going to be like this?’
“So, first of all, he’s already come over,” Cadee continued. “He’s in Perth. He’s probably never flown that far, but he’s late to things. He showed up to a couple of games for maybe 10 minutes, then just upped and left.”
Like the children and their families, Cadee, who plays for Bankstown Bruins in the NBL1 East, also got to experience Iverson’s cold behavior at an event.
“We’re over at Rottnest Island for this partners and CEOs, and owners thing, and Iverson comes across, and he speaks,” Cadee stated. “He walks in the room, he speaks. He spoke pretty well for about seven minutes, eight minutes. Gives the mic up and just leaves. That’s it. Apparently, there’s supposed to be photos, supposed to be some time to mingle, out. That was it.”
It’s safe to say Iverson won’t be getting invited again. It will be interesting to see if he shares his side of the story at some point.
