NBA legend Allen Iverson is widely regarded as one of the game’s greatest scorers. Between 1998-2008, he averaged nearly 30 points per game with a handle that was absolutely unmatched. Of course, despite being an 11x All-Star, former MVP, and 4x scoring champion, AI was never able to capture a championship, and it remains the biggest blemish in his career today.
But if you ask Iverson himself to point out the biggest regret of his storied career, he’ll likely mention his hesitation to take the advice of his longtime coach Larry Brown. According to Iverson, it was Brown who elevated his game to an MVP level during the 2000-2001 season.
“In my career I have one regret, not taking [Larry Brown’s] constructive criticism like I’m supposed to… Once I bought into it, that’s when everything changed. I went from a good player to an MVP [in 2001 w/ Sixers].”
“Once I bought into it, that's when everything changed. I went from a good player to an MVP”
–@alleniverson talks Larry Brown's impact on his 2001 MVP season with the @sixers https://t.co/YId5h9nfFD
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 1, 2023
Iverson’s numbers jumped in his fifth season when he averaged over 30 points for the first time in his career. Despite his small size, Iverson was able to score with ease thanks to his speed, grit, and amazing talent to create space and hit shots.
Iverson did reach the NBA Finals in 2001, but his 76ers proved no match against the Lakers, who still had Kobe and Shaq running the show.
Allen Iverson Hated Basketball As A Child
Iverson’s story is well-known throughout the NBA community. He leaned more towards football when he was younger and apparently found basketball too soft.
“I hated basketball, I thought it was soft. I was always a football player,” said Iverson. “One day, my mom said, ‘you’re going to basketball practice’. I was like, ‘playing basketball is soft.’ I thank my mom. If she didn’t tell me I was going to basketball practice that day, I would have never played.”
Needless to say, Iverson made the right choice sticking to the game of basketball and his impact on the league will never be washed away.
Of course, it’s hard not to wonder how AI’s career would have gone under different circumstances, but there’s no going back to change things now. Iverson did the best with what he had, and you can’t fault him for what he was able to do.
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