The Battle of the Braiders Allen Iverson is known for his elaborate braided hairstyles. You know the styles, but have you met the women behind the most famous cornrows in the world? Oh yeah, and there's beef. Years before Allen Iverson was named the NBA's most valuable player, he was known for something other than his basketball skills. People knew him for his hair. The Sixers star was the little guy with the crazy cornrows worn in zigzags or small swirls across his scalp.  Dionne Matthews, 29, of Camden, N.J., was the woman responsible for creating those designs and others such as the "Spider" and the "Versace." She traveled with Iverson, often at a moment's notice, and did his hair two or three times a week for about $1,000 a month. Now, as the NBA championship draws to a close, she has been benched. After doing his hair for almost four years another braider, Angela "A.J." Johnson, has taken over, traveling with Iverson last week to Los Angeles as the Sixers faced off against the Lakers. "I am kind of sad in a way," said Matthews, a single mother. She says she and Iverson had a falling out several months ago about something that she can't even remember now and that she hasn't done his hair for three months. And now, as her most famous client has the eyes on the world on him, she finds herself scrambling to rebuild her clientele. What stings most of all, she says, is that his hair doesn't look as good and appears to have broken off in the back. "There's no fuzz in my parts," Matthews said. "Mine are extra clean where you might think I used a razor." Johnson, Iverson's new stylist, points out that no two braiders' work is exactly the same and that she is trying to help Iverson regrow his hair which is about 6 inches long. "It's not as long as it used to be," she said. "I'm getting it back into a healthy condition now so, hopefully, it'll be a lot longer. His braids hang about to his neck. They are awfully thick now but I'm going to try to get that together." Meanwhile, Johnson is hoping that by working on what, no doubt, is the most closely scrutinized head in the world, she'll create a thriving business for herself.		Author Jenice Armstrong   Source BET.com   Return to Articles