J. R. Smith Revealed His Favorite Allen Iverson Moment: “If It’s Not Me, And It Ain’t Melo, Give Up The Ball.”

J. R. Smith played with Allen Iverson during his time with the Denver Nuggets, and he shared his favorite story from that time.

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Credit: Fadeaway World

Allen Iverson may not be a Top 10 player in NBA history, but he has a case to be considered one of the most loved players when it comes to how other stars in the league feel about him. 

Iverson changed the culture of the league with the way he was and the way he carried himself. And J. R. Smith got to experience that when he played with Iverson as a member of the Denver Nuggets. He revealed his favorite AI moment on a podcast. 

“I think my favorite moment with AI was he came into the locker room and pretty much let everybody know. Like, ‘If it’s not me and if it ain’t him (Carmelo Anthony), literally give the ball up.’ You know how people talk indirectly, but they’re talking directly?” Smith said, per the Old Man and the Three podcast.

“He has a huge problem with people who can’t score having the ball. At any point in time. Unless it’s a dribble hand-off or taking the ball out, he does not like it. So, it just so happened, it was one of our big guys, and it was just like… He might fight you. We don’t want that in the locker room or at halftime. It’s just like, AI comes in, and it’s like, ‘You heard what he said. Give him the ball.'”

From 2006 to 2008, Allen Iverson was teammates with J. R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony on the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 26.3 points per game during that time, despite being past his prime. It also fits in with Iverson’s style of play in that he would want just the scorers to have the ball all the time. 


Allen Iverson Is The Second Highest Scorer In Nuggets History In Terms Of Points Per Game

Allen Iverson is remembered for his time with the Philadelphia 76ers more than his time with the Denver Nuggets, but he still achieved something amazing. Iverson is second on the Nuggets’ all-time scoring list when it comes to points per game, only behind Alex English on the list. 

There are many Allen Iverson stories that players across the NBA have told, but this one is most fitting in terms of his on-court persona. His style of play never quite resulted in a championship, but the way Iverson played allowed players to feel more empowered both on and off the court. 

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Divij Kulkarni is an NBA columnist for Fadeaway World. He has covered the NBA and the English Premier League, with 4 years of experience in creating sports content. Finding exciting and intriguing content about all things NBA is both his job and his passion. Divij loves the Dallas Mavericks and can be regularly observed getting emotional during games. Outside of basketball, he enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi novels, consuming copious amounts of movies and TV, and spending time with his dog, Olivia. Expertise: NBA, Historical Sports ResearchFavorite Team: Dallas MavericksFeatured On HoopsHype, Sports Illustrated, Secret Base, MSNPrevious Work: Tribuna
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