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As the NBL\u2019s HoopsFest weekend gets underway in Perth, Iverson fronted the media and didn\u2019t hesitate when asked about the league\u2019s most dominant modern-day figure.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive-time MVP \u2013 I don\u2019t care what league you\u2019re in, that\u2019s definitely impressive,\u201d Iverson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m definitely looking forward to meeting him and chopping it up with him a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
PERTH, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 15: NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson talks to the media during an NBL HoopsFest media opportunity at the Westin Hotel on January 15, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane\/Getty Images for NBL)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Cotton\u2019s resume already places him among the very best the NBL has ever seen. An elite scorer, an evolving playmaker, and a player who bends games to his will, Cotton has built a career defined by consistency, sacrifice and sustained excellence.<\/p>\n
But for Iverson, the conversation quickly turned personal.<\/p>\n
When asked what it means to still be an idol for a player like Cotton, Iverson paused \u2013 and reflected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, it\u2019s an honor. It never gets old to hear younger guys talking about the impact that I had on their lives and their games,\u201d Iverson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember when I was that guy and the way I felt about Mike. I really wanted to be like Mike \u2013 what he meant to me and how instrumental he was to my development as a basketball player.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taipans win thriller against Bullets | 00:53<\/p>\n
The chain of influence in basketball is powerful. For Cotton, it was Iverson \u2013 fearless, undersized, unapologetic. For Iverson, it was Michael Jordan, the standard-setter who made everything feel possible.<\/p>\n
That inspiration helped shape Iverson\u2019s own legacy: a 2001 NBA MVP, a perennial All-NBA selection, and one of the most influential figures the sport has ever produced.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world wouldn\u2019t know Allen Iverson if it wasn\u2019t for Michael Jordan giving me that vision of wanting to be a basketball player,\u201d Iverson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo to hear that he took a lot from my game is a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Game, as Iverson put it, respects game.<\/p>\n
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 04: Bryce Cotton of Adelaide in action during the round 15 NBL match between Brisbane Bullets and Adelaide 36ers at Brisbane Entertainment Centre, on January 04, 2026, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
And while Cotton\u2019s path has unfolded largely outside the NBA spotlight, Iverson was quick to underline just how difficult sustained dominance is \u2013 regardless of league or location.<\/p>\n
\u201cExtremely, extremely hard,\u201d Iverson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously he has a lot of confidence in himself. The coaches have confidence in him to put him in positions to succeed. His teammates \u2013 they have to be extremely great and supportive of everything he does out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTeamwork makes the dream work. So it\u2019s great to see him have that success and his teammates do everything they can to help him be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Cotton, the excitement is very real.<\/p>\n
Speaking with NBL media last week, the 36ers star admitted the moment still doesn\u2019t quite feel real.<\/p>\n
Tatum points out free throw ‘fun fact’ | 00:53<\/p>\n
\u201cI was excited [when it was announced that Iverson was going to be in attendance at HoopsFest],\u201d Cotton said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t believe it at first. I wanted to wait a few more weeks to be sure he was actually coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone knows how I feel about him, so it\u2019ll be really cool to meet him in person.\u201d<\/p>\n
With every NBL and WNBL team in action, a global icon courtside, and the basketball world watching, HoopsFest is set to deliver a special weekend in Perth.<\/p>\n
But for Bryce Cotton, it\u2019s more than a festival.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a full-circle moment \u2013 playing the game he mastered, in front of the player who inspired it all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Bryce Cotton takes the floor on Sunday, it won\u2019t just be another game. Watching on will be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416115,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-416114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416114\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}