1. He hasn't changed his image or beliefs just because of pressure from outside sources. He still wears baggy clothes, has the cornrows and jewelry and tattoos. He's confident enough about himself to wear and do what HE wants to do, not what others tell him.

2. I don't think you'll find a more loyal person than Allen. Once you gain his confidence, it seems like he'll stay with you forever. It's obvious how much he loves his teammates and his coach. He says he only wants to play for one team in the NBA -- the Philadelphia 76ers. He's also been with his fiancee since he was 16. Allen knows the value of being an honest, loyal person.

3. He's an awesome basketball player. That's kind of a given. MVP of the league -- it can't get much better than that! He's an innovative player who's constantly coming up with new spins to get away from the defense. The best thing about Allen's game is the courage he plays with. He's not at all intimidated, even if people are knocking him down left and right. He always gets back up and keeps fighting.

4. He loves his kids. Every time they show Allen with Deuce and Tiaura, it's obvious how much he loves them. Also, they're about the cutest little kids I've ever seen. He's always kissing them and hugging them and stuff -- it's so adorable!

5. He has so much passion. When Allen plays the game of basketball, you can see his eyes get a certain fire in them. He's not gonna quit until the final buzzer has sounded, no matter how much his team is down by or how much their lead is. He leaves it all on the floor in every single game he plays in.

6. One thing I've always marvelled at about Allen is how adversity feeds him. He can be doing poorly in a game and be shooting 30%. Then he gets fouled, pummeled to the ground by someone who's a foot taller than him and one hundred pounds heavier. So what does he do? Ask to be taken out of the game? Give up? Start licking his wounds? Nope. He goes and makes a killer steal, hits a three, drives to the lane and gets a layup and a foul, converts on the three-point play. He's a soldier on the battlefield. Adversity just makes him better.

7. I love Allen's sense of humor. He's always smiling and looking happy. He's constantly joking around with his teammates, trying to get the fans into the game. If he falls over out of bounds on top of some camera guy, he'll often sit there for a moment and sling his arm around the guy's shoulders and say hello to him. He's always joking around and dancing backstage. Allen does a killer imitation of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. He's also known for drawing uncanny caricatures of NBA players and coaches -- including himself. Under his sometimes tough facade, I think he's a really sweet, honest guy who likes to have fun.

8. He's overcome the odds. It's such a wonderful story... Someone like Allen who lived in poverty his whole life, and now has proven everyone wrong. No one thought he could get this far. But he always believed in himself. He's worked so hard to become a respectable, classy person and the MVP of the NBA. He lead his team to the Finals this year, which everyone said he couldn't do. He's a symbol for all the underdogs of life. Don't ever give up.

9. The Answer isn't a cocky person. Everyone calls him the star of the Sixers, but he's always giving his teammates credit in interviews and so forth. I've never once seen him get angry with any of the other guys. It seems like he and Aaron, Eric, Dikembe, Jumaine, Tyrone, George, Matt, Raja -- the whole squad -- really get along and trust one another. One unsung part of Allen's game is his ability to find the open teammate when he's being doubled. He's awesome at getting lots of assists each game and gets his teammates pumped up.

10. He's not fake. Allen is who he is, take him or leave him. I've never heard him BS just to sound like a hero. He doesn't suck up to the officials, the media, other players. That doesn't mean he acts like a jerk -- he just acts like a regular person. That's how he wants people to percieve him. He admits he makes mistakes, and he learns from them and moves on. He doesn't have some celebrity complex.