“I felt like he was the only one who understood my dynamics and what I was dealing with and what I was going through.” Even though they shared the court for just 122 games in Denver, Allen Iverson truly understood Carmelo Anthony. Decades later, the friendship and bond run deep, as AI is even keeping an eye on Melo’s son. Recently, we saw the two together on the Hall of Fame stage, and it brought all sorts of emotions not just in Anthony’s household.

On Instagram, Iverson’s mother added a post about her son being the presenter for Carmelo Anthony’s enshrinement. “TOGETHER AGAIN THIS TIME BOTH HALL OF FAMERS…BEING A MOMMY IS NOT EASY SOMETIMES, BUT TIMES LIKE THIS🥲MAKES MY ❤️ FULL 😍CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BOTH‼️🏀15 & 🏀3 GOATS FOREVER ✅💜🙏🏾.” But Allen Iverson was not the only presenter for Melo. Dwyane Wade, too, was on the stage, and in another post, Ann Iverson shared a glimpse of it, too.

“THESE BEAUTIFUL SMILES TELL THE STORY WITHOUT SAYING A WORD…🏀3 & 🏀3 CELEBRITIES 🏀15 ❤️💪🏽✌🏽✅.” As stated earlier, Anthony has a connection with Iverson due to them being teammates during their time with the Nuggets. Although D-Wade and AI never shared the hardwood, the impact of the 2001 MVP was also visible in his life.

“I respectfully wore the No. 3 throughout my college and NBA career to represent the love and respect that I have for this man.” During his Hall of Fame induction, Dwyane Wade honored Allen Iverson as one of his idols. Even for the Heat legend, AI was one of the presenters. So, this clearly implies their bond and respect for Iverson, who truly is the blueprint for Melo and Wade for what a scoring guard should be.

They took the lessons and added their own flair and reached the pinnacle of basketball–the Hall of Fame. There was also an emotional reason why Melo chose his two presenters. Apart from giving flowers to Michael Jordan, Carmelo stated, “Then you have A.I., who impacted my whole professional career. We all know the impact that A.I. had on us. We can relate to that. Product of environments, still going out there, doing what you want to do. Then also there’s my brother D-Wade who’s in there.”

Carmelo Anthony shares what it was like after his Hall of Fame moment

In his nearly 20-minute speech, Melo covered all the bases. From talking about the sacrifices his mother made, and even paid tribute to his father and sister, who are no longer with us. The 10x All-Star also shared that being a parent helped him sacrifice his ego and become a better person his kids could look up to. That’s why, after the emotional night, Melo opened up about how he actually felt “I feel good, man.”

Dwyane Wade shared an IG post, where we could hear Carmelo Anthony‘s feelings. “Honestly, I don’t even know how to feel. I’ve got basketball royalty here tonight—D-Wade, AI, the Triples… it was very intentional that I had these guys bring me in tonight. They’ve been huge influences in my life, shaping who I am both on and off the court. My brothers, my Hall of Famers, right here with me.” 

So, not just before his induction but even after, Melo made sure to give respect to his two presenters. It’s a moment that goes beyond the Hall of Fame induction—it’s Melo pausing to honor the legends who inspired him, the friends who pushed him, and the family he’s built in the game.