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Former NBA MVP Allen Iverson was a fan-favorite during his playing days.
Now, Golden State Warriors fans will appreciate him even more after his recent comments during an appearance on All the Smoke podcast with former Dubs Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes.
The answer was asked which current player he would have liked to play with, which led to this exchange (h/t NBC Bay Area’s Drew Shiller)
Iverson: ”Giannis.”
Jackson: ”I thought you were about to say KD (Kevin Durant).”
Iverson: ”Oh nah, nah, nah! Yeah. I would love to play with KD. I love Giannis now. I love Giannis. I love Giannis. I’m trippin’ because I haven’t seen KD in a minute. I’m trippin’. I’m trippin’ hard. No disrespect to Giannis. I love Giannis.”
Jackson: ”I hope he leaves too. Go to Golden State.”
Iverson: ”That’s where I want him to go — Golden State!
Barnes: ”It would be ugly.”
Iverson: ”Yes. Yes. I would love him to go there. That’s where I want him to go. I want him to go to Golden State man.”
The Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Warriors thing won’t stop until the Greek Freak makes his decision. The Milwaukee Bucks can offer the back-to-back NBA MVP a supermax extension this offseason, and until Antetokounmpo signs on the dotted line, the rumors will continue to swirl.
The Warriors are back on the court together after more than six months of being apart due to the pandemic. The Dubs are back in San Francisco for an optional two-week mini-camp.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are not participating for personal reasons. Green’s fiancee is pregnant and is expecting over the coming weeks, while The Athletic’s Anthony Slater says Curry’s absence is due to family reasons, and with the coronavirus protocols in place, he wouldn’t be able to commit.
Head coach Steve Kerr says their presence is missed.
“I want to make clear that this is a voluntary camp. Bob and I have both been in touch with Steph and Draymond. We are well aware of their circumstances. They both have important family issues to attend to. They have excused absences ... “Would I like them to be here? Of course. We’re watching all these teams in the bubble (in Florida for the NBA restart and playoffs). The ones that didn’t make the playoffs, even they had six weeks to practice and play games and try different lineup combinations, and we haven’t had that opportunity.”
The good news is that Klay Thompson is back on the court. The 30-year-old sharpshooter is getting in his first team 5-on-5 action since tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Although he hasn’t practiced over the first two days, he is expected to join full team workouts before the Dubs adjourn for the offseason. Kerr says Thompson is looking like his usual self (h/t Warriors Wire).
“Yeah, he’s doing well. He worked out here at the facility for several days in a row, maybe four or five days in a row with Chris DeMarco and Chris gave me really positive updates. I was here for a couple of those days and got a chance to see him, and Klay looks great, and he says he’s anxious to play, so we’re excited about that.”
The camp is an excellent opportunity for the younger players to get in some much-needed workouts. Eric Paschall, Marquese Chriss and Jordan Poole will all get some valuable coaching as they prepare for the start of the next season.