Allen Iverson Catches Heat Down Under Over Botched Visit With Sick Children In Australia

One former basketball player called AI an "absolute sh-t human" over his behavior.

Allen Iverson is in hot water over a botched visit with sick children during a trip to Australia.

The basketball and style icon went down under to host a meet-and-greet with kids diagnosed with cancer. According to Hot97, a Reddit user’s account of the fan event went viral because of Iverson’s apparent “disgusting” behavior.

The Reddit user described the Jan. 22 scene as less than desirable, stating that their younger brother was one of the cancer patients meeting Iverson. The event was reportedly organized in partnership with the local charity Challenge, which supports kids with cancer, and Iverson’s management.

However, as soon as the NBA All-Star arrived at the event, hosted at the Cavalo Prestige Melbourne car dealership, things immediately took a turn.

“My little brother, who is 12 years old and is currently receiving chemotherapy for ALCL lymphoma, was so excited to meet one of his idols,” shared the Redditor. “He came out to be extremely disgusted and disappointed in Allen Iverson’s behaviour, and so were the other families.”

The disgruntled attendee then explained that Iverson’s security informed the families that the 50-year-old was having a “bad day,” and thus did not wish to meet anyone.

The Reddit thread continued, “We were waiting in a downstairs room with his security with all of the kids, and his security told us he was ‘having a bad day’ and didn’t want to come out. Shortly after, we were told to go upstairs to meet him, and we did not get to meet him.”

Finally, Iverson did indeed meet with the children. However, the Reddit user claimed that he appeared unimpressed by the entire ordeal. The entire experience left the families “extremely sad,” given that many considered him their idol.

“We were lined up, and all the kids got was a photo, and he did not seem impressed about that. He had his hands in his pockets and did not smile or put his arm around any kids in any photos,” added the Redditor. “He knew the kids were sick, and still did not put any effort or acknowledgement to that. Everyone was so disgusted in his behaviour, it was honestly so disappointing.”

As the thread went viral across social media, the CEO of Challenge also confirmed the disheartening experience with Iverson.

“Challenge was deeply disappointed with the meet and greet involving Allen Iverson,” explained Challenge Chief Executive Officer David Rogers.

Rogers also called the matter “challenging” and “at times disrespectful.” However, he did not go into further detail beyond acknowledging the families’ disappointment.

However, Iverson’s lackluster trip continued with several let-down events. He apparently skipped out on another community engagement the following day, this time hosted by CreativeCubes.Co. Another retired NBA player, Chris Anstey, who attended the event, called Iverson’s no-show the only “problem” with the charitable event.

Other professional basketball players also spoke out against AI’s behavior. Retired Australian player Jason Cadee spoke on his podcast, “Cut to the Jase,” about Iverson’s apparent disinterest in his home country.

“Late to stuff, barely spoke, first interview they asked him how Australia was or something, and he just laughed and said ‘I haven’t left my room’,” stated Cadee, according to Basketball Network. Just things where I’m like ‘why would you come’ if you’re going to be like this.”

Another player, Andrew Bogut, called AI an “absolute sh-t human” over his performance in a post on X.

Absolute shit human.

No excuses for this.

If anyone knows this family pls reach out.https://t.co/xGJ9LO2z5w https://t.co/4tltd5oHyw
— Andrew Bogut (@andrewbogut) January 27, 2026

No word from Iverson’s camp as to why the NBA legend acted in such a way.