GQ Sports Honors Allen Iverson, Deion Sanders & Derek Jeter

Sports style icons

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GQ Sports went big–real big–with its inaugural Style Hall Of Fame event where they honored globally-beloved baller Allen Iverson, New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter, and polarizing superstar Deion Sanders during Super Bowl weekend in Arizona.

Source: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GQ

Celebrated for their distinctive (and disruptive) styles, the legendary trio received their fashion flowers as the first class inducted into GQ’s Sports Style Hall of Fame.

Source: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GQ

The event was filled with love, fellowship, and big hugs from three of pro sports’ biggest stars.

Source: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GQ

Notable guests at the ceremony included Chad ‘Ocho Cinco’ Johnson, Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, Key Glock, Malcolm Jenkins, , Special Projects Editor at GQ Mark Anthony Green, Global Editorial Director of GQ Will Welch, and more.

Source: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GQ

Source: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GQ

Source: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for GQ

Gucci’d down to the socks, Allen Iverson basked in the moment nearly two decades after single-handedly changing fashion culture in the NBA.

“My mentality at 21 years old is, I’m not wearing no suit to go hoop,” said Iverson in GQ’s Sports Style Hall of Fame issue.

And I think what grabbed the culture was the fact that here he is, a mega-superstar and rich, and he dressed just like us, and people had never seen that before. Then you’re seeing everybody start to come to the game dressing like I looked. Everybody had the diamond chains and the big earrings. Kobe had the diamond chain and the earrings and all.

So it was like somebody had to take the ass-whooping. I was the one that actually cried. I remember having that moment where I was so hurt, because they had the thug-this and thug-that, and then all of my tattoos and sh*t. I only had this one tattoo my rookie season because I couldn’t afford tattoos. So now when I got some money, now I wanna get what I wanna get.

It was like the worst feeling in the world for muhf**kas to call you a gangster and a thug, and you dream of not having to live that life and not be in the streets and all that old sh*t, to be on a platform where I could be looked at just like every other hardworking person in the world.

It was bittersweet, because at the end of the day, look how many other people you helped. Now you can’t find a basketball player without tattoos, or you can’t find somebody without cornrows or dreads or without jewelry on. It’s the norm.”

Check out GQ’s video recap, Allen Iverson’s Style Hall of Fame interview, and all of the selects from the event below: