hoop-la

ALLEN IVERSON is in Tsuen Wan, showing off his tattoos. On his right forearm is a picture of the Grim Reaper holding a basketball. Above, on a muscular bicep, sits an image of a human skull wearing a green US Marine helmet. Why the Grim Reaper? 'Cos when I play I feel like I'm the Grim Reaper,' he says in street-smart speak. And the skull? 'That's a soldier,' he says with a nod. 'I feel like I'm a soldier,' he explains 'going into battle.' Iverson, 23, is a US dollar millionaire many times over, and he has earned most of his fortune playing basketball. The world of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is a competitive but hugely lucrative goldfish bowl. Once inside, Iverson's hypnotic speed and dazzling dexterity, combined with a swaggering, mean-street manner, meant he became an overnight, rags-to-riches hoop hero. When he entered the NBA he did so as the number-one pick in the 1996 draft, having been the best rookie of the year, and became point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. Suddenly he was holding the most important position in a team which was the league's least successful - a lot of responsibility for a 20-year-old. But Iverson handled it. Early in his first season he turned the team's fortunes around and attracted widespread critical acclaim, big-name sponsors ... and some bad press.

In the United States, many column inches have been devoted to Iverson's upbringing. Born on the wrong side of the tracks in Hampton, Virginia, Iverson grew up in a household that had no father figure and a house that, at times, had no running water or electricity. But before he had reached his 21st birthday he had a three-year contract worth US$9 million (HK$63 million), and a 10-year endorsement contract with sportswear manufacturer Reebok.

If reports are accurate, the Reebok deal is worth about $40 million. Since the 1997-98 season ended in May, the NBA's players have been in dispute with club owners over a proposed salary cap; but as an indication of his worth, before the conflict arose Iverson was due to sign a new playing contract - a 10-year deal worth something like $100 million. Iverson has been shown the money from two sides - and become an integral part of Reebok's marketing strategy. Which is why he's sitting in Tsuen Wan showing off his tattoos.

On Iverson's other bicep is a dog. Perhaps it's a bulldog, perhaps a pit bull terrier. The dog is in a flying leap and it's fangs are huge. Above this image, written in blue and red, sit the words 'The Answer'. It's the man's nickname. 'That's me,' says Iverson with a smile. Above this is the word 'Survive', and below is Iverson's crudest tattoo - the sort of decoration tough kids give themselves in a school or prison yard - and comprises rough, jagged writing. It says 'CRU THIK'. 'That's my crew,' he says, laughing, this time with pride. 'My friends.' Iverson's 'crew' have recently been getting more press than the man himself. Much has been said about Iverson's 'cru' - the owners of the 76ers are said to be worried about the group of about six people with whom he grew up, and who went with him from Virginia to Philadelphia. Last month, two hours before a weekend charity event called the Allen Iverson Celebrity Summer Classic was due to open in his home town, Iverson's Mercedes-Benz CL 600 was confiscated by police after it had been borrowed by two of Iverson's friends. Michael Powell was arrested on a charge of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, Andre Steele with possession of marijuana.

Although Iverson had done nothing wrong, it was hardly role-model stuff and it was not the first time he - or his friends - had been in the papers for the wrong reasons. Before Iverson was a star he was known in his home town for two reasons. Firstly, he was the local sports star; as an American footballer he was also an accomplished quarter-back. The other thing that brought him headlines was the part he played in a Hampton bowling alley brawl in 1993. Iverson was jailed for five years, but after serving four months was released on appeal; the disturbance was said to have been racially motivated.

According to police, in 1996 Powell was again driving an Iverson Mercedes when shots were fired at the car. Powell had also been convicted, in 1990, for possession of cocaine, and again in 1992 for possession of weapons. On August 3 last year, Iverson was a passenger in his own car when it was stopped for speeding in the early hours: Iverson was arrested on drug and gun charges. As part of a plea bargain, he must be tested for drugs every month for two years; he is also on probation for three years for the weapons charge. Since the incident, Iverson has explained to journalists why he carries a firearm. 'I'm disliked,' he said. 'The media has people thinking I'm some kind of bad guy. I just want to protect myself.' AS IVERSON sits in a sports shop in the Discovery Park shopping centre, the talk is a long way from guns. It's the final leg of a five-cities-in-10-days Asian trip, called the Reebok Iverson Crossover Tour: meet the press, meet the public, throw some balls at some hoops. Reebok sell more trainers and it's all strictly nice stuff. The press are warned beforehand. 'He's got a short temper, and if he's asked anything he don't like he will walk,' a fretting PR tells reporters. He's here to sell trainers, and clearly it's kid-gloves time. As he talks about his tattoos, Iverson has a dozen photographers crouching round his feet.