Allen Iverson and Eric Snow
Every basketball player who reaches the NBA undoubtedly has remarkable skills. Most of them are confident about their repertoire and sometimes find it hard to co-exist with other talented players. That had never been the case with former Philadelphia 76ers point guard Eric Snow.
AI earned his stripes
Snow was never an explosive scoring guard nor an exceptional playmaker who would log double-digit dimes every night. Instead, he was a defensive guard, the type of player perfectly suited for an all-around scorer like Allen Iverson.
As we all know, Iverson was famous, or should we say infamous, for his score-first mentality. Many viewed him as a ball hog and a selfish leader, but according to Snow, AI had earned all the right in the world to do pretty much anything he wanted to on the court.
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When once asked if being branded as Iverson’s “supporting cast” ever bothered him, Snow optimistically replied none at all.
“That does not bother us at all,Snow told ESPN in 2001.We all understand this league, the marketing in this league, the star status in this league. And you have to earn it. (Iverson’s) earned it. He’s earned the right to be called a star in the NBA, because he has the talent that he has. It doesn’t bother me.“
Eric knows his role
As it turned out, Snow was telling the truth about his stance on being a role player in the NBA. Aside from Iverson, “E-Snow” also played with another superstar LeBron James when he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004.
Like in Philly, Snow embraced the role of a “supporting cast” member wholeheartedly in Cleveland once again. For Snow, he could sleep soundly at night, knowing that regardless of the amount, at least he had helped Iverson and James win games.
“To be able to say I played with those guys, but more than anything to be able to say I experienced some things with them that I know were good moments in their career,Snow pointed out. “And I would like to think that, in some way or another, I helped them. That’s a good feeling for me that in one way or another, I helped them do something.“
Having heard Snow’s take on his journeyman career, it just goes to show that not all players on basketball’s biggest stage chase stardom. Some were like Snow, who was content with being a supporting cast member his entire career.
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