“Cultural awards should be Allen Iverson award… It is not a lot of people who are doing it. A.I. was doing it unknowingly; that was the culture because that was the culture at that time.” Carmelo Anthony previously raved about Iverson and his impact on the league beyond basketball. From cornrows to hip-hop swagger, Iverson made sure he was the culture. Not only did they share the court as teammates, but now they are ‘Family’ to each other. However, the 76ers legend’s jail time brought out raw emotions in Melo.

At the time, AI was just 17 years old in college and was staring down a 15-year prison sentence. Four individuals, including Allen Iverson, faced arrest for a racially charged bowling alley brawl on Valentine’s Day of 1993. Then, Judge Nelson Overton at a circuit court trial sentenced Bubba Chuck to 15 years of jail time. However, civil rights groups and local churches came together in protest. Their efforts made sure that the sentence was reduced to just 4 months.

But the incident took a heavy toll on Iverson, and even Carmelo Anthony revealed what he went through emotionally. “AI, like we all know, the impact that AI had on us hood, you know what I mean. We can relate to that right, you know, household, growing up, family, friends, environment, product of environments, still going out there doing what you got to do.” On his podcast, Melo recalled the impact of Bubba Chuck on his life and why he could relate to him.

“F— everybody like you get what I’m saying. Like that impacted me as a 15, 16, 13 you know. I was hurt when AI went to jail in college, you get what I’m saying. Felt that one felt like Oh S— what? Like you, you felt like somebody off your block, off your neighborhood, your man got, I ain’t even know him I was I was young.” Despite not meeting Iverson, his impact was immense on Melo, as he detailed on his 7PM podcast.

Carmelo Anthony and his relationship extend beyond the Denver Nuggets

“I felt like he was the only one who understood my dynamics and what I was dealing with and what I was going through,” Melo spoke about Iverson’s impact last year on his podcast. After a thriving career with the 76ers, it ended after the team reportedly failed to add enough players to a winning roster. When he landed in Denver, the team already had the 2003 draft’s overall #3 pick, who was establishing his own.

It was a mentor-mentee relationship, but not in the traditional sense. Iverson never sat Melo down for long speeches about the game; he just showed him how to embrace the spotlight, how to carry the weight of being the guy. Melo soaked it all in. Their time together in Denver was short-lived, but electric. When AI and Carmelo Anthony formed the duo, the Nuggets amassed a total of 101.5 points per game to become the second-best in the league in that category in the 2007-08 season.

But it’s not only Melo who was touched by Iverson’s influence. The 76ers legend even made sure to hype ‘nephew’ Kiyan Anthony after his contribution to winning the Throne’s title. The LuHi beat the Eagles 83-56 in emphatic fashion at the Throne Hoops National Championships in March. Kiyan finished with 25 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds.

Allen Iverson shared the clip featuring highlights with the caption “He ain’t up next He up now!! Congratulations Nephew! @kiyananthony.” So, from inspiring Melo to keeping an eye on Kiyan, Allen Iverson did it all. That’s why his being behind bars left a sour note in not only Carmelo Anthony’s life, but the community as well.