Shaquille O
(L-R)All-Stars Shaquille O’Neal #34 of the Miami Heat and Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers sit courtside during the got milk? Rookie Challenge, part of 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend at Pepsi Center on February 18, 2005 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

“I love him so much. I don’t want to be up here crying and s***” Allen Iverson says of his longtime friend, Shaquille O’Neal.

June is Men’s Mental Health Month, a time to not only center the emotional well-being of men but also to radically imagine what it looks like when Black men, specifically, are allowed to feel. So when Allen Iverson let the tears flow while reflecting on his friendship with Shaquille O’Neal, it was a reminder of the power of friendship and vulnerability. 

In Netflix’s “Power Moves,” a new docuseries chronicling Iverson and O’Neal’s journey to rebrand Reebok Basketball, viewers get a rare look at the softer side of two cultural giants. The former NBA MVP (Iverson), once known for his fierce intensity on the court, took an emotional pause while speaking about his longtime friend and now business partner.

“I love him so much. I don’t want to be up here crying and s—, you know what I mean? I just love him,” Iverson said of O’Neal, per People magazine. 

For Iverson, showing that kind of vulnerability didn’t come easily. “I’m an emotional guy,” he said, “but I don’t like to go there.”

But go there he did. And in doing so, he gave voice to a kind of love between Black men we rarely get to see celebrated: platonic, deep, and overflowing. He described Shaq as a “big brother, a mentor, and just everything you’re supposed to be as a man.”

“I love his family. I love how he raised his kids,” he continued. “I learned from him, you know what I mean? He’s just a beautiful guy…I can’t talk about him.”

Since being named vice president and president of Reebok Basketball last October, Iverson and O’Neal have turned legacy into leadership. For Iverson, it’s about paying homage to the brand that gave him his shot back in 1996 with the iconic “Question” sneaker.

“I know what Reebok did for me,” he told the publication. “I know what Reebok did for my family. I know what Reebok did for the culture. I know how Reebok blessed me and gave me a chance. And for me to give back is only right.”

Today, that give-back includes ushering in a new era, one defined by voices like Angel Reese, whom Iverson calls “dope” and praises for what she stands for both on and off the court.

“I love what she stands for. She reminds me of my little sister….She reminds me of myself, hoop-wise and on a personal level, too.”

In this new chapter, Iverson seems lighter. Reflective. “I’m just happy,” he said. “I’m just happy about the people in my life that helped me, and my maturation. The people that I know love me, and they show it, they really, really show it to me. I think it’s just a beautiful life.”