David Stern once claimed that the NBA dress code most commonly attributable to Allen Iverson was actually because of Steve Nash.
That’s according to Dan Patrick, who relayed the late NBA commissioner’s comments on the matter in an interview with The Answer last week.
Patrick said that Stern used to fight what he believed was the mischaracterization that Iverson was responsible for the NBA player dress code that went into effect in the 2005-06 season. It required players to wear business casual attire to games and at least a sports coat with dress shoes while on the bench, while outlawing a number of large jewelry items.
“David Stern said that everyone thinks this is the Allen Iverson rule,” Patrick recalled. “He said that it’s really Steve Nash. He had a problem with how Nash dressed when he went to the press conferences.”
Patrick also told Iverson he was ahead of his time with his tattoos and cornrows.
Iverson said he “kind of took the ass-whipping” for his appearance and called it “bittersweet” that today’s players can be more expressive in their fashion choices after all the establishment pushback he received.
Dan Patrick says that the late former NBA commissioner David Stern remarked that the infamous dress code had as much to do with Steve Nash as Allen Iverson.NBAE via Getty Images
Allen Iverson felt unfairly singled out about his dress, tattoos and corn-rows during his NBA playing career.FilmMagic
“Back then, I was 21 years old, and I didn’t understand,” Iverson said. “I was just kind of dressing like the guys from my neighborhood that I grew up with, so it was natural to me. And then with the tattoos, I always wanted them but I couldn’t afford them. Once I could afford them, I went overboard. But all the tattoos mean something to me.”
With the hair, he explained, he struggled finding barber shops on the road that wouldn’t mess his hair up, and found corn rows to…