Viola is coming to Pennsylvania.
The city of brotherly love will welcome former NBA stars Al Harrington, who is Viola’s CEO, and Allen Iverson on Saturday, Sept. 2 for the launch of their cannabis strain “Iverson ’01.”
The launch event is part of Viola’s introduction to the state market and will be held at Green Thumb Industry’s new Northeast Philadelphia RISE dispensary location.
Having Iverson as a business partner in New Jersey and now Pennsylvania has created an “unbelievable turnout,” Harrington told Green Market Report, and his support has been crucial to the success of the brand.
The idea to partner up first came to Harrington during his time playing in Ice Cube’s Big 3 basketball league, where he often crossed paths with “Big Chuck” – Iverson’s nickname.
“I was just like, ‘Chuck, you ever thought about putting out a cannabis strain?’” Harrington said. “He literally shut me down. He was like, ‘Nah I’m good.’”
It took Harrington almost two years and several conversations with Iverson’s advisors for the cautious NBA legend to finally come around.