Allen Iverson was always ready to play regardless of if he was going through an injury. The guard never backed down from a challenge and even when he was hurt, he was willing to suit up and step on the court. The Philadelphia 76ers had to make some drastic decisions to keep him on the bench when he was injured but he was always trying to find a way to play.
Former Sixers GM Billy King joined The Audacy NBA Show with Ryan McDonough, where he had the chance to discuss a series of topics, including Iverson and his stubbornness to stay on the bench while his teammates play. King explained that at some point, the team decided to hide AI’s jersey in an attempt to keep him out of action. But, he wasn’t going to give up so easy and Iverson looked for every alternative he had to play.
“When he was injured and we knew he couldn’t play we used to hide his jersey. Because he would come to the locker room looking for his jersey, we’d lock it somewhere so he couldn’t get it…. One time, in New York, he found his jersey but didn’t have any shoes. He was trying to send the ball boy to the Foot Locker around the corner. He said ‘just give me a pair of their Reeboks. I can play in those.’ Then he pointed to an attendant, ‘what size are you, just give me those shoes,’ because he wanted to play so bad.”
This guy had a lot of heart, he was really a good competitor and these stories are the biggest sample of that. If there is a reason for AI to believe that the 1996 draft class is the best of all time, that’s the fact that he was part of it and he knows how much he loves the game and how much he gave to it.
Curiously, he wasn’t a fan of practice but he was always ready to play no matter what. That’s one of the reasons he’s an NBA legend and one of the most influential players of his time. You have to respect Iverson’s desire to play at any cost.
