Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson told Michael Kaskey-Blomain of CBS Sports that this year's Allen Iverson Roundball Showcase will be dedicated to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
Iverson Classic events will tip off on April 22nd with The Iverson Games. It is a gauntlet of crowd-pleasing events including a dunk contest, 3-point shootout, one-on-one matchups and more.
The final event will be the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic All-American Game on Friday, April 24th:
“My memory of Kobe is what it is man,” Iverson said. “He was just great. He was great. He was just a tough dude as far as competing. He inspired us all to try to be great because he wanted to be the best … Every time I hear his name, it touches me. It's crazy [that he's gone].
(Iverson noted that the 2020 Allen Iverson Roundball Showcase will be dedicated to Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant).
The decision to dedicate this year’s game to Kobe and Gianna Bryant was made by Iverson, who had an incredibly close relationship with Kobe.
In 1,346 career games for the Lakers, Bryant cemented himself as the greatest Laker of all-time. He holds career averages of 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion, 15-time All-NBA team member, two-time Finals MVP and five-time champion with the Purple and Gold.
The Lakers retired Bryant’s No. 8 and 24 jerseys last year. Now, the late NBA legend is set to be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer as part of an incredible class of 2020. There will never be another Kobe Bryant, that's for certain.
Bryant tributes will continue for a while, as they should. The basketball community will make it a point to never forget Bryant's legacy both as a player and father. He was an idol to a whole generation of people. Kobe will live on forever.
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