“Gave his all to feed his FAMILY” Allen Iverson looked after 35 families after being an NBA sensation
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Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson is one of the most controversial basketball figures of all time, beloved by many yet with many haters too, yet there is no denying his impact both on and off the court. While the Sixers point guard during his time in the league did and said a lot of things that made himself seem controversial and arrogant, he did not forget his upbringing. In an article that GQ magazine published back in 2007, Iverson’s biographer Larry Platt revealed that A.I had a pact with his friends from his childhood and even after he became a star in the league he did not forget about it and adhered to the conditions.
Platt stated: “Growing up, he made a pact with his friends, some of whom had long criminal records: They were going to be rappers, and he was a baller. And whoever made it, the rest were along for the ride. At one point, there were about thirty-five families on the payroll, both relatives and friends.”
Allen Iverson’s Impact on the game
Allen Iverson is one of the most iconic figures of the game. An all-time great point guard, his crossover on Michael Jordan in his rookie season is infamous and is still talked about by many. Though no championships to his name, His impact on the culture and fashion of the game has cemented his legacy as a legend.
In 2001, the former MVP had developed bursitis on his arm, causing his right elbow to swell, to keep on playing, he started wearing a sleeve on his right arm to help him play easier. And from this the “shooter sleeve” became popular. This became a fashion statement created by Allen Iverson as the sleeve was now everywhere as fans wanted to emulate him and even today many players wear it on their shooting arms as a nod to the icon. That same season he was the MVP of the league and reached the NBA Finals too, though ultimately losing to the duo of Kobe and Shaq on the Lakers.
Iverson remains infamous for his “practice” rant in a press conference in May of 2002. The rant consisted of the word “practice” being repeated 22 times, and on the surface, it may seem comical. “I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re in here talking about practice. I mean, listen: We talking about practice. Not a game, not a game, not a game. We talking about practice. Not a game. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. Not the game.“
“We’re talking about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that? We’re talking about practice… I know I’m supposed to lead by example.… But we talking about practice, man. What are we talking about? Practice? We’re talking about practice, man. We’re talking about practice. We’re talking about practice. We ain’t talking about the game. We’re talking about practice, man. When you come into the arena and you see me play—you see me play, don’t you? You see me give everything I got, right? But we talking about practice right now.… But we talking about practice, man… We’re talking about practice.“
While it may seem like he was ridiculing the idea and importance of practice, what the sound byte could not capture was the later part of his interview where it was revealed that he had lost his best friend at the time and was dealing with the pain from his death. Iverson remains to be one of the most influential players of the game and his loyalty to the pact that he made with his friends stands as a testament to his character.
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