I finally got to meet one of my favorite PGs of all-time, Allen Iverson. It happened this past weekend on February 16th in Indiana during the 2024 NBA All-Star celebrations. I was there to help my dad film another episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, and A.I. was the main guest.
MEETING TIM HARDAWAY, SR: It was cold, and snowing pretty heavily outside the Bullseye Center in downtown Indianapolis across the street from the Lucas Oil Stadium. When I arrived, NBA legend Tim Hardaway Sr. was finishing up his interview on Udonis Haslam and Mike Miller’s podcast, The OG’s. My dad was helping produce The OG’s podcast that day, so I got to meet Tim; one of my dad’s favorite players ever.
MEETING MAC MCCLUNG: We were scheduled to begin filming Shaq’s podcast after The OG’s got done. Our first interview was with reigning NBA Dunk champion Mac McClung, who I share the same birthday with. Shaq was running late from another event. So, we wound up having to do Mac McClung’s interview with just Adam Lefkoe as the solo host.
Mac’s interview went well, and I learned a lot about how he prepares for the dunk contest. I also learned about his struggles bouncing back and forth between the G-League and the NBA. After the interview, I got a chance to talk to Mac and get some insights on what it takes to be a professional point guard.
MEETING ALLEN IVERSON: I knew I’d get to meet a few NBA legends and current stars, but I did not know I would actually meet Allen Iverson! I’m not gonna lie…I was doing everything I could to NOT act like a fan. Thankfully, I played it cool and was able to do my job effectively.
I also didn’t know that my dad would actually let me oversee the audio recording portion of the podcast for A.I.’s segment? I had a lot of fun working on the mixer and making sure everyone sounded great. Shaq and Adam said I did a great job, and that meant a lot to me.
Overall, this weekend at All-Star break was one of the most fun times I’ve had so far with my internship. I can definitely see myself being a host or producer on NBA TV shows and podcasts after my playing career is over. That’s if I decide to not be a physical therapist at some point.
