Allen Iverson compares Rob Dillingham to Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson will forever be known as one of the most entertaining players in NBA history. In 14 seasons, the six-foot-nothing guard better known as The Answer averaged 26.7 points and 6.2 assists per contest en route to 11-time All-Star honors, and later, the Basketball Hall of Fame.

He wasn’t always efficient, but damn, was he fun.

You know who has a similar reputation at the high school level? Kentucky signee Rob Dillingham. Undersized and erratic with a touch of controlled chaos, but goodness, is the kid must-see TV. If there was ever a model for the 6-foot-1, 165-pound guard — almost identical measurables — to make it in the league, it’s the A.I. path.

And Iverson himself agrees.

Invited to participate in the 2023 Iverson Classic All-American Game, Dillingham put on a show, earning the Crossover Award at the conclusion of the event. He dazzled in competitive practices in front of NBA scouts throughout the week, then finished the job in the game itself sharing a backcourt with future Kentucky teammate DJ Wagner — a co-MVP of the event after finishing with 19 points and six assists.

Fellow future Wildcat Justin Edwards was the other co-MVP on the opposing team, finishing with 20 points.

After the event, though, Iverson pulled Dillingham aside and offered some words of wisdom. He compared the five-star guard to himself before telling him to go to Lexington with a dog mentality. Playing alongside Wagner and Edwards, among other All-American talents, Kentucky will enter the year with a target on its back.

Rather than being hunted, The Answer wants him to be the hunter.

“Too much pressure, you give too much pressure. You move in an Allen Iverson pace,” Iverson told Dillingham. “Y’all are coming. What is Kentucky getting ready to be with you and that killer (DJ Wagner)? You know what I mean? And you’re a killer. But there are other dudes at other schools that will be like, ‘We beg to differ because we’ve got confidence in who we are.’ It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Eat. Eat, homie.”

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Dillingham had that mindset throughout the week in New Jersey, with Camden and Union hosting the annual event. He put his scoring and facilitating skills on full display against and alongside some of the best competition high school basketball has to offer.

Iverson also shared a moment with Wagner after he earned co-MVP honors, encouraging him to take care of business at the next level.

“Do what you do,” he told the future Wildcat guard. “You’re the best, man. Show the world.”

Solid guidance from a legend of the game.