A moment in time: A stutter step, dribble to the left, hesitation and crossover to the right…pull up in the lane and bucket...in Philadelphia against the World’s Greatest basketball player. Against the World Champion Chicago Bulls. Allen Iverson’s sheer talent and gall to upstage Michael Jordan if only for one play came to define his rookie year in the NBA and alerted basketball aficionados that this six foot, 160 lb, kid in cornrows definitely had the Answer. In the years that followed, Allen Iverson would help change and transform the culture of the NBA combining his raw basketball talent with stoic hip-hop flair and swagger. Fusing these two entities together proved to be both beneficial and detrimental to the NBA and Allen Iverson. Allen was the hip-hop generation’s first true superstar representative in the NBA and hip-hop nation embraced their king. But the NBA did not want to embrace the lifestyle that came with it. A few conduct policies and dress codes later, Allen Iverson emerged as an NBA bad boy. A vivid icon of what’s good and bad about the league.
Iverson pressed on, defended his friends and defied his critics on his way to being an NBA MVP in 2001. He took his Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals that year where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. This little man who stood for all little men in sports and in life, who came to define his era in the NBA and in the process bought a new generation of fans to the game may well have aborted his legacy with one word: PRACTICE. Yes, we’re talking about practice.
Allen Iverson has never been a fan of practice. To be honest, few athletes are. But in athletic circles it’s clearly understood that practice comes with the territory. It’s a mandatory activity necessary for achieving athletic success. Iverson’s sheer talent and will made him exempt from such endeavors in his own mind. Practice was just not a priority with him. What Iverson failed to understand was that this simple endeavor and what it symbolizes is a sacred standard in sports that should never be questioned, ridiculed or downplayed. Practice produces champions. And I would argue that his failure to recognize how important this endeavor is has contributed to his current influx with the NBA and his career. It may even prove detrimental in deciding his legacy.
This past summer Iverson reaped what he sowed. No NBA team offered him a contract except Memphis…and this came at dawn of the new NBA season. He was clearly hurt by the snub and said he was going to show people what a mistake they made. But it was Iverson who made the mistake. He battled with coach Larry Brown over practice while in Philly and it cost him. Brown, a legendary and respected coach, wields great power and influence in the league and it’s not surprising that there were no takers for Iverson this summer. What’s more, Iverson never really was much of a work out guy, either which is another important form of practice. This cost him as well. Now, at the age of 34, his body has begun to betray him. He was battling a hamstring injury as the season got underway this fall.
After years of strictly relying on his talent, Iverson has now been faced with accepting the stark reality of his mistake. Nowhere was that more evident than in Los Angeles recently as Iverson and the Grizzlies were playing the Lakers. Iverson, not a fan of coming off the bench, either was ineffective against L.A. and played sparingly few minutes. He plays for a team rich in youth and talent and instead of accepting a diminished role and being a leader for the young guys, he’s more concerned with playing time and starting. By comparison, this night Iverson was being guarded by Derek Fisher, a player who came into the NBA at the same time as Iverson, is the same age but starts for the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers. Fisher will not be a Hall of Famer. Iverson has the credentials to definitely be a Hall of Famer. No one will argue that Fisher is a better talent than Iverson. But the telling difference in both these guys’ careers at this point has been attitude and focus. Fisher has always practiced, has always worked on his body to endure the physical grinding that an NBA season requires. And when L.A. signed Gary Payton back in 2003 to replace him in the starting line-up he did not whine or get upset. He embraced his role off the bench and was more focused on what he needed to do to help his team. Is there any wonder why Fisher is a 4-time world champion and Iverson is not? Is there any wonder that Iverson’s skills have diminished and his ability to make it through an NBA season healthy is in question? Is it any surprise that the game against Los Angeles may well have been Iverson’s last? He is currently considering retirement after taking a leave of absence from the Grizzlies following the Laker game.
So what will Iverson’s legacy be? We’re talking about a guy who had tremendous talent for someone his size. Who infused the NBA with a hip-hop swagger and bought a new generation of fans to the game. We are also talking about a guy who refused to subjugate that talent with the concept of practice. Who while being one of the NBA’s valued superstars was not one of its tailored spokesmen. A player who is in the top ten all-time scoring in the NBA but it not particularly known for being a team leader and has never won a championship. I think his legacy will reflect his talent and contribution to the game but it will also mirror his attitude and focus (or lack thereof) that he displayed. In a league of Bryant, Wade, Anthony and James, Iverson is barely mentioned. He has become somewhat of a footnote in NBA lexicon today. I believe his place in the history of the game will have a similar effect. That’s unfortunate for such a talented player as Iverson. But talent is something all NBA players have. What makes one truly great in this game is desire, will to win, focus and leadership…even a little thing called practice.
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