In the summer of 1998, Allen Iverson made headlines once again for the wrong reason. Even though he wasn't directly involved in it, his best friend, Andre Steele, was arrested alongside another guy for drug possession.
Unfortunately for Iverson, Steele was driving his car when the police found cocaine and marijuana in his possession during a checkpoint following a report of possible drug dealing. As expected, the media feasted on the Philadelphia 76ers superstar's involvement.
Years later, Iverson looked back at the fateful incident with a broken heart. For A.I., it was already stressful to have his name dragged to something negative once again, but it was even more painful that his best friend trusted the guy who caused it all.
"I just told him he made a mistake, but that he's got to watch out for guys," I verson wrote in a piece for ESPN The Magazine. "The guy that was with him in my Mercedes is not as tight with us. That guy didn't understand he was riding in Allen Iverson's car, with Allen Iverson's best friend."
"I mean, that's Allen Iverson's car, it's under his name, and if anything happens, if they find anything in there, it's going to come down on me," he continued. "And I'm saying none of that stuff in there was Andre's stuff. Andre never knew that the guy had it."
Even before the incident, Iverson was heavily criticized by the media for his affiliations and ties with neighborhood thugs. He was stereotyped as a gangster because of unapologetic rawness, appearance and demeanor.
With that in mind, Iverson reckoned that his best friend's arrest and linking to his name only added insult to injury. Admittedly, "The Answer" didn't know how to feel anymore after that incident. He still loved and trusted his friends, but he could only hope they learned their lesson with every trouble they got into.
"It bothered me," Iverson further reflected. "I always get such a bad rap over my friends. They try so hard to stay clean and not get in trouble and just do what's right. Of course, they need to know that if anything negative happens to them, who's it going to come back on? Not them. Me."
"They'll have their names flashed all over ESPN and the papers, but it'll all come back on me," he pointed out. "And I guess that's the only positive thing I take from it -- that they can learn from it."
https://www.twitter.com/XavierProfesso1/status/1010991008841072642
One thing about Iverson is that he always sticks up for his friends. No matter how bad the situation was, he was always there to support them.
He was very much the same as a player. All throughout his NBA career, Iverson always had his teammates' backs. In return, they gave Iverson the utmost respect that he deserved and played their hearts out with him on the court night in and night out.
As Iverson's relationship with his friends and teammates grew stronger, so did the disdain of naysayers and his critics. Despite being often viewed in a bad light, Iverson managed to stay mentally strong enough to remain at the top of his game.
Today, Iverson is recognized by many as one of the greatest competitors of all time. But for his friends and teammates, A.I. was someone who never let them down.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
