PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson wore No. 6 instead of his No. 3 to honor Hall of Famer Julius Erving.

Erving, whose No. 6 is retired by the Philadelphia 76ers, embraced Iverson and the two chatted for a few minutes.

	Iverson

"I was quite pleased," Erving said.

Iverson, the NBA's reigning MVP, wanted to wear No. 6 for the 1999 All-Star game in Philadelphia. But that game was wiped out by the owners' lockout.

"It's a tribute to him," said Iverson, who scored just five points after winning the MVP award in last year's All-Star game. "He got his fame in Philadelphia and he means everything to Philadelphia and he means a lot to me because I'm just trying to carry the torch."

Their relationship has come a long way since Erving criticized Iverson four years ago, saying he could find guys who played his style on any schoolyard.

Erving led the Sixers to their last NBA title 18 years ago. Iverson took them to the Finals last season.

Nelson's message
West coach Don Nelson spent a few minutes in the second half sitting with his wife, Joy.

Both are cancer survivors.

"It was fun," said Don Nelson, coach of the Dallas Mavericks. "She doesn't get to tell her story much and it's an important story to tell."

Joy Nelson underwent surgery last month for breast cancer after it was detected in the early stages.

Don Nelson battled prostate cancer last season, and missed 21 games.

"Early detection saved her life," he said. "She preached early mammogram and took them. Same with me; early detection saved my life."

Ali-Frazier bond
During an emotional moment while Alicia Keys sang "America the Beautiful," former rivals Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier stood arm-in-arm courtside.

Frazier was heavyweight champion in the late 1960s and early 1970s and fought Ali in three memorable heavyweight battles -- winning once and losing twice.

After their daughters, Jacqui Frazier-Lyde and Laila Ali, fought last year in New York, Frazier said he had put aside his long-standing feud with Ali.

Malone a no-show
Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone remained in Salt Lake City, missing the game because of his mother's illness.

Shirley Turner, who lives in Malone's hometown of Summerfield, La., has been ill for several weeks with an undisclosed ailment, and was admitted to a Salt Lake City hospital.

Malone was not replaced on the Western Conference roster. He spent Wednesday and Thursday with his family in Louisiana and returned to Salt Lake City on Friday to participate in the Olympic torch relay.

He was expected to fly to Philadelphia after the relay, but did not go because his mother had been hospitalized.

City of Brotherly hosts
Since opening in l996, the First Union Center has hosted the l996 World Cup of Hockey, the l998 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the l999 AHL All-Star Game, the 2000 NCAA Women's Final Four, the 2000 Republican National Convention, the 2001 NCAA Men's East Regional, and the 2001 X Games, which also return this year.

The l997 Stanley Cup Finals and 2001 NBA Finals also were played here.

The last Time the NBA All-Star game was played in Philadelphia before Sunday was in l976 at the Spectrum.