Why would you come? Cadee rips Allen Iverson experience

• 2025-26 NBL Team Lists and Roster Tracker
• How to watch every NBL game in the 2025-26 season
• Interactive and live NBL Scores and Schedule here

"Why would you come?"

That's the question NBL legend Jason Cadee has asked 'The Answer' Allen Iverson after he ripped the NBA icon's efforts on his Australian tour, including as the special guest for HoopsFest.

Iverson's tour of Australia was one filled with disappointment, leaving devoted fans and even children out of pocket hundreds of dollars for unattended events or commitments cut short without fulfilling what customers had paid for.

Cadee called out the former NBA MVP on the latest edition of Cut to the Jase.

"Allen Iverson wasn't brought to Australia by the NBL... there were things happening in Australia where he was coming across, the NBL get wind of it, they obviously figure out an agreement to get him to HoopsFest so he can play a part in that," he said.

"I landed Thursday (at HoopsFest) and by the time I landed I had already heard how difficult he was being and how much of a shit show it was. 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'.

"Just things where I'm like 'why would you come' if you're going to be like this.

So, first of all, he's already come over, he's in Perth, he's probably never flown that far. But he's late to things, he showed up to a couple of games, for maybe 10 minutes then just upped and left. Larry Kestelman who's in the building, who's a billionaire... they basically had to sort out an agreement just to get a photo with Larry Kestelman and I'm guessing Larry's paying something for him to be there."

As part of his role with STEPONE, a sponsor of the NBL and its Next Stars program, Cadee attended an event at Rottnest Island with NBL owners, partners and CEOs, where Iverson was the special guest and he couldn't have been more disappointed.

"Those who know me know I'm not a big go and annoy people for a photo, but I was like AI, most of us from my kind of age group, we grew up and we all had a love or we watched Allen Iverson play and respected him and he was a smaller guard," he said.

"Iverson comes across and he speaks. He walks in the room and he speaks, he spoke pretty well for about seven minutes or eight minutes, gives the mic up and just leaves, that's it. Apparently there was supposed to be photos, supposed to be some time to mingle, (he was) out. That was it.

"I was just like, in my head I actually said to myself, I'm going to get a photo with AI because there's not that many people here so it won't be too annoying, there was only about 30 people there. Just gone, out, didn't see him again. I think he showed up to the Perth game that night for about 10 minutes and that was the last I saw of him for the weekend.

"But then I remember speaking to a few players, and I won't mention who it was but one of the imports, he was sitting there and he'd kind of heard that already and he goes 'man, I'm just disappointed... he's a guy that we've all grown up loving and to hear that he's just got no time for anyone... I just feel disappointed, like I've been let down'."

Cadee said Iverson's efforts was a stark contrast to that of Carmelo Anthony, who was a special guest at the inaugural HoopsFest, and legends such as Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who attended the NBLxNBA games against the New Orleans Pelicans last October.

"I take it back to last year, we had Carmelo Anthony in town. Carmelo Anthony's walking past our practice, and obviously we had Montrezl Harrell on our team, Carmelo stops, walks over and just starts saying hi to our whole team. Didn't have to, wasn't there for that, practice had kind of stopped because Carmelo was there and I think Mike (Wells) said hi to him. I was like, that's cool," he said.

"Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen later last year, they're out having dinners with people, they're in settings saying hi, easiest people to approach and say hello to.

"So this experience, I just feel like it was really disappointing from someone that I've really looked up to.

"Someone said 'imagine if this was Kobe'. And someone else said 'no, Kobe wouldn't do that, he would've sat there and watched all the games'."

Iverson's lack of effort to see and spend time with his fans in Australia then stretched to his events post-HoopsFest, including not even showing up for an event in Melbourne, leaving NBL legend Chris Anstey posting his anger to social media.

"Had a friend message me, took his son to an event in Brisbane, tickets weren't cheap, showed in 30 minutes late, jumped on the mic, left straight after there was supposed to be meet and greet, take photos," Cadee said.

"He said to his son 'ask him for a photo' and they said no photos and left.

"That's what I'll leave it with."