Names & Faces: “Misunderstood” Iverson Finally Finds Answer

76ers G Allen Iverson is profiled in a sports section Cover Story by USA TODAY’s Greg Boeck, who writes Iverson has “reinvented himself as one of sport’s most transcendental stars. He has not only rearmed his high-octane game but recast his image.” Iverson is “reshaping his image — as a leader who no longer rocks the team boat; as a model NBA citizen who even adheres to the new dress code; as a patriot who considers playing for the U.S. Olympic team an honor instead of an imposition; and as a father who doesn’t want to embarrass his children.” Iverson’s agent, Leon Rose, said that “more and more marketers are lining up at Iverson’s doorstep” (USA TODAY, 1/11). Iverson currently has marketing deals with Reebok and Topps (THE DAILY).

WIE: In Honolulu, Ann Miller reported that Sony sent a crew of 20 to Hawaii to shoot golfer Michelle Wie for a $2M, eight-minute movie it showed at the Consumer Electronics Show last week in Las Vegas. The film “featured some of Sony’s most high-profile celebrities,” such as actors Tom Hanks and Adam Sandler. In the film, Wie “launches a drive that rolls into an Alicia Keys concert” (HONOLULU ADVERTISER, 1/10).

SHOCKEY: Sports-Stuff.com, a publisher and distributor of SMS alerts, mobile Web sites, ring tones and mobile videogames for the sports and entertainment industry, has acquired the wireless rights for Giants TE Jeremy Shockey (Sports-Stuff.com).