Allen Iverson posted a statement on social media Thursday to address backlash he received for sharing a photo of himself with Louis Farrakhan.
On Wednesday, the 45-year-old Hall of Famer shared a photo on Instagram of a meeting he had with Farrakhan. His caption for the photo said “I didn’t choose to be black, I just got lucky!!! #BucketListMoment #LoveConquersHate #GoodDefeatsEvil”.
Farrakhan is the leader of the Nation of Islam, which has been deemed a blacked nationalist and hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In his statement, Iverson said his post was not meant to offend anyone. He said he respects Farrakhan as a powerful voice in the black community, but that he has some different opinions.
— Allen Iverson (@alleniverson) July 16, 2020
Iverson is the latest current or former pro athlete to express support of Farrakhan. DeSean Jackson was fined by the Philadelphia Eagles for sharing some anti-Semitic thoughts last week. Jackson recently was consuming content from Farrakhan, who has a history of anti-Semitic messages, according to the Anti-Defamation League. DeSean Jackson was backed by Stephen Jackson and Shannon Sharpe, among others, who have also expressed support for Farrakhan recently.
