I was two years old when A.I. was drafted first into the NBA in 1996. His entire career was spent entertaining and inspiring a generation that was searching for their next great superstar. Every accomplishment and mistake that was apart of his life was finally vindicated a couple nights ago. Allen Iverson was officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Growing up my brother and I always had a passion for sports. It was the only thing we wanted to do. I remember trying to stay outside with him until the streetlights in the neighborhood turned on every summer break. Every sport he started learning usually became something I was interested in very quickly. I learned how to play football and baseball from my brother and his friends. My father and uncles taught me soccer. Allen Iverson taught my brother and I how to play basketball.
Anyone who loved basketball loved Michael Jordan. Everybody wanted to, and to this day still wants to play like him. But there was something different about Iverson. And my brother saw that. The fact that A.I. wasn’t the biggest point guard out there probably helped too. My brother, small but quick, wanted to play like Iverson. So that meant that I wanted to play like him too.
Everything about the sport was difficult. I spent countless days practicing how to dribble, shoot, and pass. My brother would practice by himself and when he perfected something he would go play against his friends. I had never seen him so committed to learning something new. Football and soccer had come naturally to him so I never saw him put any extra effort into a physical activity before. That was until he watched Allen Iverson play. I always tried to keep up with him so I became obsessed with getting better. A.I.’s work ethic was instilled not only in my big brother but also in me.
We watched A.I. play when we could and I kept falling more in love with this sport. I then started to help my brother practice. When his friends weren’t around I became the wall he needed to get through to score. I looked at what he did and tried to do the same thing.
When I got older I started playing against his friends. They were obviously bigger and stronger but I learned a lot from those moments. I’m 5’3” so basketball was never going to be a career option for me. But I learned something during that time that has stuck with me till this day. I realized that being in those positions, with zero chance of scoring or winning, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t at least try. So I played with heart more than anything, and failed most times, but I never gave up. My brother never did and neither did Allen Iverson.
A.I. went through so many struggles, mostly self-imposed, but he never stopped loving the game of basketball. His tenacity and confidence during a game was unmatched. He lived and breathed basketball and the city of Philadelphia loved him for that and always will. He was the opposite of what everyone was used to during that time. The cornrows and fashion that attributed to his persona created a new era for the NBA that is still alive today.
Allen Iverson’s career stands among the greats from this moment on. His history on and off the court is as vibrant as the crossover that he is known for and it will live on in that way forever. His Hall of Fame speech, a couple of days ago, was filled with thanking all the people in his life who have contributed to his career.
He will never read this but we should be the ones thanking you A.I. Basketball wasn’t just a game when we watched you play. Thank you for the countless memories and life lessons.
