Allen Iverson will finally do his best to tell his story, in the highly anticipated Showtime documentary:
‘IVERSON.’
It’s a story that I’ve followed closely for most of my adult life. Me and Iverson are close the same age, but obviously come from two different worlds that connected way before he became an NBA All-Star.
The picture below and the SI piece on Iverson had a lasting effect on me — I believe it changed my life. I’m the proud owner of nine tattoos, don’t care who likes me and carry myself with a certain dignity and chip on my shoulder everyday because of him.
Southern Discomfort A Virginia town has split along racial lines over a stiff jail sentence meted out to high school basketball star Allen Iverson
How many guys do you know that were Street & Smith or Parade High School All Americans in both football and basketball?
How talented was Iverson on the gridiron? Check the rankings from 1992-1993, and you’re likely to see Iverson rated ahead or even with future NFL Hall of Famer, Champ Bailey.
He was a star from afar — but the bowling alley brawl made him a legend.
His trial — prison sentence — and ultimate pardon, made you want to pull for him even more. Iverson’s arrival at Georgetown was Fab Five like — except he was one man. Known as the university choice of some of the greatest big men in basketball history — John Thompson gave Iverson the keys and let him lose.
In his first season at Georgetown in 1994–95, Iverson won the Big East Rookie of the Year award and was named to the All Rookie Tournament First Team. Iverson led the Hoyas to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, and a matchup with the UNC Tar Heels.
For the first time, I actually found myself rooting against Rasheed Wallace. Iverson actually made the vaunted Tar Heels look like bad guys in that performance.
At that point even though we were in different phases our lives — we were forever bonded. Funny thing is, I think millions of kids all ages — around this country, felt Allen was their friend.
Why you ask?
Even at G-Town, he was a warrior, and a guy so many of us could relate to. The normal guy can’t relate to Kobe Bryant or LeBron James — both men standing over 6’6.”
I caught hell for saying Iverson was a better player than Stephon Marbury while I was in college. Won several bets off this matchup in A.I. second season.
Iverson — all 6’1,” 175 pounds — gave even the common athlete hope and a reason to be courage. In his second and final season at Georgetown in 1995–96, Iverson led the team to a regular season Big East championship. and the tournament final.
I still don’t rock with Ray Allen because of this shot.
Iverson’s polarization of pop culture and the NBA started on draft night. Who can forget AI — after being drafted — making David Stern wait, so he give his crew — the guys that were there from day one — some love.
https://youtu.be/DO3T6mh5tGw
Coming to a Philadelphia team that had just finished the previous season at 18-64, the city was on fire. Iverson was on his way, but nobody thought he would have the effect on so many that he did.
His first season was spectacular — Iverson was named the 1996 Rookie of the Year and was also a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team, after averaging 23.5 points per game, 7.5 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. But you could see the evolution coming.
Despite the Bulls still winning and being true champions, the true changing of the guard happened on this play.
While the rest of the NBA essentially bowed down to Michael Jordan, The Answer let it be known that he wasn’t scared of Jordan, saying that “he doesn’t have to respect anybody.”
“He sure has some confidence,” said Jordan, who led the Bulls with 31 points. “At one point, I mentioned to him that he was going to have to respect us. If you don’t respect anybody else in this league, you have to respect us. He said he doesn’t have to respect anybody.”
Iverson caught hell from Charles Barkley and every other old school star in the NBA — who didn’t like the new kid talking trash.
A.I. taught us all a lesson.
Gone were the days of waiting your turn so to speak. If you were ready — the world could be yours.
Three months after winning Rookie of the Year honors, he was arrested on marijuana and gun-possession charges, the first of several run-ins with the law during his pro career.
That taught us about loyalty — and how it’s not always a good thing.
He came back his second year with braids, some fresh tattoo’s and the most popular attraction in the league. His creative, expressive playing style made him one of the sport’s biggest attractions—the Philadelphia 76ers routinely led the league in road attendance during his peak years—not least because any given night he could explode for 60 points.
Latrell Sprewell may have been the first player in the NBA with braids, but Allen Iverson turned it into the thing to do.
Yet even as he stumbled and made mistakes — we gravitated towards him even more. In an era of politically correct answers, the Jordan rules and fan boredom — Iverson’s me against the world attitude pulled people together.
PC was out, authenticity and the real was ushered in.
If you were a rapper and wanted or needed street cred, you took a picture or hung out with Iverson. Also a shift in dress wear occurred.
Say what you want about the throwback jersey era — but it became lucrative and popular, because Iverson started wearing jerseys and baggy jeans to the games.
Iverson got beatdown by the media and press, so todays athlete could do their thing.
“I took an ass-kicking for me being me in my career, for me looking the way I looked and dressing the way I dressed,” Iverson said during Wednesday’s press conference at the Wells Fargo Center, where his No. 3 jersey will be hung from the rafters in March. “My whole thing was just being me. Now you look around the NBA and all of them have tattoos, guys wearing cornrows. You used to think the suspect was the guy with the cornrows, now you see the police officers with the cornrows.”
From the braids to the tattoos, to the durag, Iverson became hip hop. He was Tupac for many, without truly saying a word.
Iverson soon became the pioneer of hip-hop style and culture in the NBA, which did not sit well with the association, leading to a mandatory dress code for all players in 2005. The code banned all jerseys, baggy jeans, sneakers, hats, large jewellery, and any other clothing or accessories associated with urban culture.
Iverson ushered the game away from big men — starting the guard heavy trend you see today.
The love for Iverson, and his true appeal took form after he was arrested on criminal trespassing and gun charges barely a year after winning MVP.
Iverson was covered by the media here in Philly like he was OJ Simpson, causing us to root for him even more.
The Iverson case appeared on 10 straight Daily News front pages, culminating with the infamous mugshot cover the day after his arrest.
To others he was thug, but to us, he was just A.I. — the guy who defined an entire generation. You don’t believe me, read what some of the todays greats say about him.
“He meant everything to me,” Paul said. “I grew up in North Carolina and I loved Michael Jordan to death, but Allen Iverson had a bigger influence on the game of basketball than anybody. I don’t even think it is close.”
“A lot of kids and even guys in the NBA will tell you the sleeves the guys wear on their arms, that’s Allen Iverson,” Paul said. “Some guys wear it as a pad, and stuff like that, but that’s Allen Iverson. When I was a kid, I wanted braids because of Allen Iverson. I wear number three, the way that I play, because of Allen Iverson.”
He was the antithesis of corporate America, a representation of what we all were and could be by sticking to the script and being real to yourself. Allen was the counter-culture icon for youth in America, yet was the most popular player in the league and an MVP.
Who can forget the 2001 season.
Take a poll around Philadelphia, and I guarantee people will tell you that November 2000, through June 2001 was the greatest joyride in sports history.
The Sixers had a magical run to the NBA Finals — where Iverson put up magical performance after magical performance.
Iverson’s 48 point Game 1 performance, including the famous “step-over” on Tyronn Lue will never be forgotten.
https://youtu.be/grXws5m11SA
For one night, Iverson was better than Shaq and Kobe put together — but he simply didn’t have enough to take down a Lakers team that won the next four games and the championship.
For a 10-year period, myself and so many others never missed a 76ers game, home or away. During a time when fans in other cities were treated to mediocrity on a nightly basis, I got the opportunity to know, occassionally run into and watch Allen Iverson for half of my adult life.
For that I am blessed and thankful.
Tune into IVERSON on Showtime at 9pm.