Blackballed: Did The Media and NBA Force Allen Iverson Into Retirement ?
August 24, 2013 by BallDontStop 8 Comments
”Recollect your thoughts don’t get caught up in the mix, cause the media is full of dirty tricks” – Tupac Shakur
It is officially the end of an era. Allen Iverson will never ever play basketball again. Though he hadn’t played for 3 years he had held out hope that a team would call, they didn’t and now he is ready to retire. What an amazing career he had, 11 x NBA All-Star, Rookie Of The Year, 4 x Scoring Champion, 2 x All-Star MVP, 2001 NBA MVP, 24,368 career points, 5300 assists, 2000 steals, career average of 26.7 ppg ( 6th all-time)…the man did it all. He possessed the deadliest crossover in NBA history, one of the 5 greatest shooting guards of all-time, the greatest little man to ever play the game and pound for pound the greatest player ever. A future first ballot Hall Of Famer, a once in a generation talent…there are 3 players we will never see again: Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson. He will be missed and he will be remembered for ever, his impact in the NBA lives till this day.
But it wasn’t supposed to end like this. This is not how Iverson was supposed to retire. The fact of the matter is Allen Iverson was forced into retirement….
Allen Iverson was blackballed. They destroyed him. “They” is ESPN, “They” is David Stern, “They” is every executive and coach in the league that had an image of what an NBA player should be like and if you didn’t fulfill it you’d be scrutinized and dogged on your whole career, “They” is the executives in charge of major sports networks ESPN and FOX who continue to tear down Iverson till this very day. Allen Iverson was just too real for the new age clean cut NBA. Simple as that. His entire career he was in a battle with the media and the leagues executives who are extremely clever, genious men in suits that are full of pride, ego and competitiveness just like Allen Iverson was and in to the public he came out the loser of that battle.
They booted him out of the league and walked all over him, he was the NBA executives worst nightmare and he was punished for it his whole career. There is a reason that for the past 3 years out of all the 30 NBA teams not a single team mentioned bringing in Allen Iverson. It is a disgrace, it is a cruel reality this man was unfairly blackballed. The second he slipped, they labelled him a “washed up, selfish, cancerous, alcoholic, gambler who had no place in the NBA. People were left saying ” Man what ever happened to Iverson?”
In a span of 5 years Allen Iverson went from the face of the NBA to out of the league and not receiving a single offer from an NBA team which lead to this retirement.
From the moment this man walked into the league they naturally had a hate for him, he wasn’t clean cut like Michael Jordan, he wasn’t smiling like Magic Johnson and he sure as hell wasn’t Larry Bird. Allen Iverson was different, he was an inner city black american kid that never had anything except basketball and football, he came from a rough background; the gutter, Iverson was from the “hood”. Iverson barely avoided an 18 year jail sentence in his senior year of high school for a bowling alley brawl in which he was accused of throwing a chair at a white female. He was one of the top quarterbacks in the country and would have been in the NFL, but he lost all his offers after that incident. John Thompson took him in at Georgetown, Iverson became a fan favorite there; he brought a never before seen type of flash to the game and he was coming to the NBA.
“They” hated what he represented, they hated how he dressed, how he looked, how he talked, hated his entourage, hated his aura, hated his swagger, his style, his attitude, his confidence and most importantly they hated his power.
The truth is the NBA is a business and sometimes a very dirty business, certain things and plans are strategically carried out to the point where the masses won’t be able to even raise questions, to say things to the average NBA fan such as David Stern and ESPN punished Allen Iverson and threw him out of the league sounds ridiculous, they would laugh at you and think you are stupid but they are just an average fan with an average point of view, an average mindset, brainwashed, victims of the plan, naive puppets.
There was an agenda against Allen Iverson. It is clear, they did not want this man back in the NBA ever again as a matter of fact they didn’t even want to hear his name ever again, they wanted to forget he ever existed. Why?…FEAR! fear that this iconic figure, this revolutionary respected legend who changed the game, the guy who is looked up to by every black athlete may just start one of the most powerful revolutions in sports! How would the NBA promote clean cut, suited up, say the right things type player like Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant if the icon and the biggest trendsetter, the man who is loved by every young athlete in America and one of the most influential athletes ever was still around in the NBA rocking cornrows, tatted up, wearing whatever he wanted, chains, du-rags, hip-hop clothing, sneakers and all types of jewelry while dropping 27 points a night? It wouldn’t work!
The players in the NBA would have continued following Iverson’s lead, he wasn’t changing who he was to be accepted by corporate America and the truth is corporate america, the conservatives were insecure and afraid that this man is not scared of them and that he may just have more power on the league than they did! Iverson refused to be someone else, he refused to be fake, he was honest and truthful in whatever he said and it cost him his career. Iverson had pride, self respect and he wasn’t breaking that for anybody. He would much rather be hated for who he was than be loved for someone he wasn’t. That’s missing in today’s NBA.
If the NBA had it their way they would of had Iverson out of the league by his 3rd year but the problem was his talent and his on court success didn’t allow that to happened! He was so good that they couldn’t deny him, he shut each and every single critic up that said he wouldn’t be able to last in the NBA or he wouldn’t be a star in the league. Through his game on the court and his accomplishments Allen Iverson was now the man who was bridging the gap between the Michael Jordan and LeBron James eras, Iverson had become the face of the league weather they liked it or not.
To corporate white America a black guy wearing baggy clothes, jewelry, tattoos, cornrows and walking around 20 deep was the look of a “criminal” but for David Stern and the rest of the executives in the NBA they would have to accept that this is the look of the face of the NBA and the MVP of the NBA weather they liked it or not. Times had indeed changed.
Allen Iverson truly changed the game, he was now the most loved player in the NBA, his jersey was the highest selling, he was winning scoring title year after year, his style had become mainstream.
Players across the league were now rocking cornrows, tattoos, coming to games in “bling”, fitted caps, baggy jeans and they loved it, it was who they were and it was their life and if somebody asked them to stop it would be obvious racism. Youth all over the world were now dressing this way, it was a frustrating time for the commissioner David Stern and he couldn’t do anything about it, Iverson was the leader of this generation and he was the one who became a cultural icon that brought hip-hop to the NBA. Young players looked up to Allen Iverson, he was admired by the youth and everyone wanted to be like A.I.
Iverson was outspoken, he knew that the league wanted to make him something he was not and he called them out on their tactics time and time again. When he released a rap album in 2002 Stern was irate and threatened to suspend and fine Iverson and the 76ers. Iverson eventually changed the lyrics and didn’t release the album. But it was clear that Stern did not like what this man represented and if he could he would disown Iverson from the league, but AI was just too good, he was the best player in the league for a time period.
You see Stern and his fellow executives had a huge problem…They didn’t like the way players looked and carried themselves now, but it wasn’t like it was hurting their money, to them the look of Allen Iverson wasn’t marketable but IT WAS! They were making major money off this, sleeves, jerseys and NBA merchandise was selling out like never before. Think about it, in the earl 2000′s – about 2007 jerseys, baggy jeans, track suits, tall tees, shoes everything had an NBA patch on it. Watch a rap video from that era all you see these rappers wearing everything had NBA patches on it. The league was making money, it was making a lot of money off of Iverson but the powers that be couldn’t wait for this man to fall off, they couldn’t wait for him to slip so they could bury him.
Iverson was the face of the league, he was making millions and millions of dollars, he was winning MVP’s and scoring titles, he was one of the most respected players in the NBA among his peers and most importantly he was doing it his way. He wouldn’t let the league achieve their agenda, he thought it was one of the most outrageous things in the world that they would attempt to change these athletes by presenting them a different way than who they were, making them look, talk and act a certain way so they could fit the image they had of an “NBA player”. He was right it was disgusting, we live in America, freedom of speech, you do what you feel and this dude was living life his way and he was for a long period one of the best basketball players in the world and he basically said “**** that, this is who I am and this is who I will be and my abilities on the court is all that should matter”
Allen Iverson was a rebel, he was the guy who talk backs to the mean teacher when everyone else is afraid, he was the guy that stood up to the bully at recess and beat him, he was now the dude that would step up and challenge the bully boss in front of everyone else on the job and make the boss look like a goof, no matter what the outcome was, his influence off the court was unstoppable and they couldn’t do anything about it because at the end of the day fans see the NBA as basketball and between those lines AI was still unstoppable.
But they would bring him down because he was calling them out and for so many years he was beating them at their own game and he didn’t need to be in a suit and tie to have power, he touched people all across the world with his authenticity and you loved him because you could relate to him. He was the ultimate underdog that stood up and destroyed every obstacle that came in his way.
The most hated and the most loved NBA player of his generation, either you thought he was everything that is wrong with the NBA or you respected his game, his beliefs, his honesty and his realness.
It is widely known in the media and sports world that David Stern has a lot of control over the media and ESPN specifically, the NBA has a huge deal with ESPN(NBA on ESPN is a brand of its own) they control what is written, what is talked about, who is interviewed and basically how it is presented. Players are trained and taught in their rookie years and throughout their careers by public relations teams on what to say, how to say it…that is why you hear so many generic interviews by stars in the league. The league had become a business that had a mission to promote a new age and new look NBA, Stern had enough of it. For so long his league was being controlled by someone he did not like so he took many steps to ensure he came out the winner of this behind the scenes battle he had with Allen Iverson.
In 2004 Allen Iverson was on top of the basketball world having one of his best seasons, averaging 31 ppg, 8 apg and 2.4 spg he was an MVP candidate yet again he was still outspoken and was quite comfortable being himself, the league looked much different than it did in the 90′s when Michael Jordan was playing. Kobe Bryant one of the leagues best players at the time had just be charged for sexual harassment, That same year in a Detroit Pistons vs Indiana Pacers game a huge brawl broke out involving Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal and other NBA players, fans got involved and Artest stormed into the stands attacking fans. Heavy fines and long suspensions were handed out, but the NBA’s image had taken a massive hit. This was horrible for the league, Stern and fellow executives in the NBA were irate and vowed to clean the NBA up.
Its like they went into a lab and designed a step by step plan to achieve a new look NBA, step number 1 was to attack and destroy the roots. In 2005 Stern implemented the NBA Dress Code, players were pissed off and Allen Iverson being the leader of that culture in the NBA was obviously the first to speak:
“They’re targeting guys who dress like me—guys who dress hip-hop. Put a murderer in a suit, and he’s still a murderer. It sends a bad message to kids.”
“The dress code is not who I am and doesn’t allow me to express myself.”
That 04-05 season Steve Nash won MVP, than in 05-06 he won it again. This was good for Stern, he finally had a clean cut friendlier looking star who was representing the league very well and it was taking steps in the right direction to a cleaner NBA. But Allen Iverson was still around, dressing how he wanted, he even wore baggy suits and his influence was still running hard throughout the NBA. However new young stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony had made their way into the league and were establishing themselves nicely, Kobe Bryant was now the best basketball player in the league. LeBron James had arrived and was becoming the biggest star in the league but Allen Iverson was still balling!
2005-06 was one of Allen Iverson’s best seasons, at the age of 31 he was averaging 33.0 PPG and 8 apg. He was at the top of his game and was still one of the best players in the NBA. It was that year that invitations were sent out to NBA players by Jerry Colangelo, head director of USA Basketball to participate in team USA Basketballs training camp which would ultimately select a team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Every premier player in the NBA was invited from Kobe to Carmelo to Gilbert Arenas all the way down to guys like Shane Battier and Kirk Hinrich. Everyone except for the 2nd leading scorer in the NBA Allen Iverson.
Iverson was team USA’s best player in 2004 and was always excited to return, he played his *** off that year and Team USA finished a disappointment 3rd and they blamed Iverson. He made it clear that he loved representing his country and was excited to do it again in 2008. They weren’t having him, this is where it all started, this was the beginning of the end for Allen Iverson. The league had started to move themselves away from Allen Iverson, they weren’t going to represent the NBA and the USA with a guy who looked like Iverson, a player as defiant and influential as Allen Iverson. Iverson responded with a 47 point performance on national TV that week, he was frustrated but he accepted it, didn’t make any excuses and moved on. He knew what was up.
The media had started to turn on AI more than ever, he was being pushed away from the spotlight, the league was moving itself away from Allen Iverson. New stars had arrived and they were pushing this new age NBA very heavily, Stern started the NBA Cares initiative, players were beginning to get fined heavily the second they spoke out about refs or owners and Iverson had just been traded to the Denver Nuggets.
It was just 5 years ago, Allen Iverson had just come off a season in which he averaged 26.4 PPG (3rd in the league), 7.1 apg, 2.0 spg and shot a career high 46% while sharing the shine with young superstar Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets won 50 games that season and were swept by eventual NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers. At age 33 at that time Allen Iverson was not showing a single sign of slowing down, he swore his body could play till the age of 40 a killer first step, jump shot wetter than ever, playing smarter and more efficiently than ever! Despite all this, Iverson coming off one of the best years of his career did not get selected to any of the 3 All-NBA teams(voted by executives and gms).
He was than traded to the Detroit Pistons which was the beginning of the end, Iverson sacrificed individual stats and was disrespectfully asked to come off the bench for a guy named Rodney Stuckey. This was the end.
That same season Allen Iverson was asked how he felt about the NBA Cares Initiative, he did not take part in it. These comments you are about to read below are probably one of the main reasons Stern made sure Allen Iverson doesn’t get back in the NBA, this is what he had to say about the NBA Cares Program pushed by Stern:
“Fake,” said the 10-time all-star who plays for the Detroit Pistons.
Iverson went on to say that he prefers the cameras not be around when he helps others less fortunate than him.
“I just look forward to doing it. I don’t need all the publicity that comes with it. I don’t need that. When it’s time for me to get toward that gate, either He [is] gonna say, ‘Come in,’ or He [is] gonna say, ‘Turn around.’ And a camera won’t decide whether I get in or not.”
”I’ve done a lot of good things in my life and done a lot of bad things in my life so I don’t know. I hope the good things outweigh the bad things. I’m damn sure I don’t want to go to hell.”
That year in the Playoffs Allen Iverson was destroyed by the media, he had left the team due to a back injury and was not on the roster for the Playoffs. But ABC disrespectfully joked about him on National TV by putting up this chart comparing Billups and Iverson(remember Iverson was gone). This was the ultimate slap in the face.
After putting up career lows on a team where he was clearly sacrificing individual stats, Iverson was labelled a “washed up and selfish player who wouldn’t come off the bench”. Iverson had just gone from the 3rd leading scorer in the NBA to being asked to come off the bench for scrubs and young unestablished players. After receving no interest in the 2009 free agency due to his refusal to come off the bench he ended up signing with Memphis, hoping he could prove that he indeed has not lost a step. But it was too late, Lionell Hollins benched Allen Iverson behind Mike Conley! This was one of the most disrespectful moves in recent memory, Iverson had been told he would start and now he was back in the same situation he was the year before in Detroit. Iverson immediately left the team, the media and one bad situation had taken him from one of the biggest stars in the world all the way down to a “bench player”.
Allen Iverson had every reason in the world to be starting over anyone. He was one season removed from average 26 ppg and 8 apg on a 50 win team and now was being disrespected, the media loved it! Iverson was honest, he did not and was not going to come off the bench because he felt it was disrespectful to even have that thought about him let alone ask him to actually do it. They pointed to Iverson’s age of 34 and said he needs to come off the bench but Jason Kidd was still starting, Kevin Garnett was still starting, Vince Carter was still starting, Steve Nash was still starting, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Jermaine O’Neal, Shaq, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan all these guys were still starting in the NBA! Why not one of the most accomplished players in league history who just came off a year in which he was having a career year?!
The New York Knicks passed on Allen Iverson in 2009, it was insane. Allen Iverson had NO interest from any teams. Say he wasn’t an all-time great and was just judged off what he did in Detroit he was still averaging 18 ppg, 5 apg and getting to the line every night! He was still quick and could go off when given the green light.
He took a month off, came back home and played 25 games for the Philadelphia 76ers out of shape, a little chubbier, a bad knee under a horrible Princeton Offense run by Eddie Jordan he still averaged 14 ppg, 5 apg and got to the line the most out of all the players on the Philadelphia 76ers roster. Iverson was brought in and all he was expected to do was a be a good teammate, not cause problems off the court and show up on time and he did all those things, he didn’t cause one problem but of course the media doesn’t want you to know that! They would be on Iverson the second he was a minute late to practice, one bad move and they’d be all over him ready to destroy him! But they had no story to report because Iverson was passing the ball, he was playing a team orientated game and he wasn’t causing issues in the locker room.
His daughter reportedly suffered an illness, he left the team. He was gone. Never to be seen again on NBA floor. He had lost faith in the NBA, here was a guy who made the league millions and millions of dollars, helped turn it into a global sport and gave so much to the NBA and its fans and now he had no interest from teams, his value had hit rock bottom, he was pushed away. Than things started to get very strange.
Iverson was in a dark state, in a span of 3 years he had gone from averaging 33.0 ppg and 8 apg all-time great stats, explosive as can be and torching defenders and was labelled a “washed up, team killer who needed to come off the bench” It all made sense to the public here was the guy they labelled a “street thug” back when he was the MVP, here was the guy that talked about how he doesn’t need to “Practice!?” and now it made sense to an average fan, the media is one of the most powerful things in today’s world it was extremely easy for them to give AI these labels, people bought into them, teams and executives and gms, coaches and fans bought it into it! But they didn’t see what was happening, this man was being intentionally destroyed.
Than out of no where the most shocking reports began to come out about Iverson and they were all being reported by his long time friend, the man that had much love for Iverson, the man that had gone out his way and made enemies standing up for Allen Iverson. Stephen A. Smith. Out of the journalists in the world there was one man who had the credibility and the respect to stand up for A.I. and be taken seriously for it, than he turned on him. Smith turned on Iverson at the worst point in his career, he called him a liar for the story about Iverson’s daughter being ill and two weeks later he revealed that Allen Iverson had a “alcohol and gambling problem and was tearing his family apart” Wow. This was strange.
Out of all people Stephen A. Smith was the first person to walk over Allen Iverson for the first time in his career and he did it at the worst time of Iverson’s career, when the man was down and out he walked all over him. The thing was Smith had recently been let go by Fox Sports, he wrote this column in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Smith’s biggest criticism his entire career was that he wasn’t objective when it came to Iverson. A couple months later Stephen A. Smith had captivated all the way to the top of ESPN the biggest sports network in the world, it was like he sold his soul with that Iverson report.
Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy confirmed that referees would purposely punish Allen Iverson in games therefore he would bet against his teams and would usually win. Disgusting.
Usually whenever we heard a story about Allen Iverson it was a negative report, ESPN would bash him, Fox would bash him all the major media outlets had it out for AI. It was like they were punishing him for all the years he was able to get away with doing what he wanted because he was too good to deny. It was like the league had sent a memo out to everyone do not write anything positive about Iverson, do not let this man get signed to an NBA team.
Years passed and Iverson ended up playing professionally in Turkey, he left half way through the season. It was clear his heart was in one place and that was to be playing basketball in the NBA and he knew he could play at a high level. Iverson numerous times said he would take any role if he could get back in the NBA, he was willing to come off the bench, he badly wanted to play basketball. Fans wanted him back, there was even a petition online to get Allen Iverson back in the NBA. The only NBA Coach who lobbied for Allen Iverson to get back in the NBA was Larry Brown, he passionately spoke about this topic and thought it was crazy that no team was giving Iverson a call. Brown was let go by the Charlotte Bobcats and now coaches college basketball in the NCAA.
Nobody wanted Allen Iverson. Nobody mentioned Allen Iverson. His legacy was being tarnished, reports all over the internet about his divorces, how he is a bad father, how he is broke and cant afford a cheeseburger. Whenever a professional team overseas made an offer to the former NBA MVP he declined it, how could he be broke? Even 2 years removed from the NBA all we heard were negative harsh stories about Allen Iverson. The media was killing him even after his career ended. There were numerous national TV games where his achievements were left off television, where he wasn’t mentioned by broadcasters when they talked about the all-time leading scorers and ppg averages in the Playoffs, Allen Iverson is 2nd all-time in Playoff PPG Average behind Michael Jordan. It was one thing to boot him out of the league and make sure he never plays again, but to dismiss his legacy was straight up disgusting.
Ever since Iverson left, people were shocked at how he can’t receive an offer from an NBA team, not even a workout to see how much game he has left. What was preventing him getting back in the league the past 3 years? Was it his age? His ability? It couldn’t be.
Check out this list below of the oldest NBA Players in the league at the moment and the free agents, all were around Iverson’s age and Jason Kidd who retired this off season was also playing quality minutes last year at the age of 40.
The only two players on that list more accomplished than Allen Iverson are Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. If Derek Fisher, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, Juwan Howard and Jerry Stackhouse could still get a run why not Allen Iverson? It sure as hell wasn’t his ability either because Iverson at his worst was playing great team basketball and averaging 14 ppg and 5 apg for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2010. A lot of these veterans that are still starting aren’t putting up numbers like that and they aren’t getting to the line like AI was either.
In 2012 Allen Iverson was bringing in the game ball at the Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics in game 6 of the East-Semis. He got a standing ovation that last for about 2 minutes, the crowd in Philly was showing love to their hero, it was a bitter sweet moment because everyone knew Allen Iverson should have been getting introduced in the starting line ups tonight. Iverson made way to the court still dressed like he always was, fitted cap, baggy jeans, chain and jewelry, a Lou Williams jersey, a big 76ers jacket. It was epic. Iverson also had an interview in which he humbly stated how he so badly wants to play basketball still. Continue reading after these videos….
It was sad, Allen Iverson should have been closing out his career playing for a contender somewhere. He should have got to leave on his own terms to a standing ovation, his career should have had a better ending. Instead it was tragic, the media made it tragic, the executives and David Stern didn’t let him have one last run all they did was put on their smiles and use the power of their suits and media to promote and present there league like it is 100% clean and nothing behind closed doors takes place. They tried to take a **** on his legacy.
It is disgusting that Allen Iverson was blocked out from all 30 NBA teams from a contract offer, he would have taken the league minimum and he would have made the team that money back just through jersey sales alone. There wasn’t anything to lose by bringing him in, instead he was disrespected even more this past year when a D-League team offered him a contract, why would a guy who was pushed out of the league, one of the 30 greatest players of all-time, who should be starting on a Playoff team a guy who should be chasing a championship in his final years in the league play for a damn D-League team? It was like they were mocking him and tarnishing his legacy as if he was just any other player.
What did Allen Iverson do wrong? What did he do to deserve this? Its a crying shame. Players that went into the stands and fought fans are still in the NBA, players that brought guns to the locker room managed to get back on teams, guys who have done some of the worst things you can do off the court are still in the NBA and some of them are even broadcasters or coaches. But Allen Iverson couldn’t get one last run. Its a shame. He was forced into this retirement.
Iverson was not an angel, he made mistakes, he said things he should not have said, he could have worked harder, he could have partied less but at least he was himself, what you saw is what you got with A.I. Weather you like him or not you have to appreciate his honestly, dude was the realist player to ever play in the NBA and he valued his self respect and pride more than anything and he took the loss for it and the loss for it was his NBA career, he says he doesn’t lose sleep over it and he’d do it the same way over again. Real man.
Some will agree with this article and some won’t, Allen Iverson was a basketball player that became bigger than the game and we should take something away from this entire saga. Its a cold world. It is 2013 and we still live in a world where straight up racism lives strongly, stereotyping, judging, scrutinizing, hating, degrading and tarnishing someones worth is something people have gotten used to…..Allen Iverson was a victim of all these things. The people in power doing these things are just getting smarter and know how to hide these cruel acts under a blanket better than ever, its sad but its the truth.
Allen Iverson is gone from the NBA. But his impact will live on forever. He truly changed the game, he paved the way for so many young black athletes from the inner city to rise up and have an identity while they become stars in the NBA. Allen Iverson was “SWAG” before it was even a term, Iverson made it okay for NBA players to do so many things they do now. He will always be a hero to many. But he also will be the toughest and most powerful figure that the NBA ever had to deal with.
Its 2013 and the league has changed tremendously from the time A.I. was in his prime and even since he left in 2010. David Stern was able to escape the most powerful rush of hip-hop culture in the mid 2000′s that in his eyes was hurting his league, he got control of his ship again and created a league that is more accepted.
Playesrs get it now, they learned from Iverson. He was the bad boy they admired and they wish they had the kahunas to do and say some of the things he said and a lot of them probably would, only if they were as talented as Iverson though, because A.I. said and called the league out on it a lot and they couldn’t do a damn thing about it because he was the most talented guy in the league and the most popular!
Now the league is in the hands of guys like LeBron, Durant, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin a lot of these guys are all from the inner cities just like Iverson was, they are tatted up just like Iverson was you can see where they come from but its like they have dismissed it in a way, they are rehearsed and its safe to say the new age NBA is FAKE. Stern is totally fine with that, he wants guys to talk a certain way, dress and act a certain way so his league will be more marketable.
There are the few guys like DeMarcus Cousins who speak out and say how they feel, talk how they feel and they get fined heavily and will get sent to the D-League immediately. Guys like Brandon Jennings from Compton will get left off Team USA training camp invites just because of what they represent or what brand they endorse. The NBA’s policies are much more strict now because Stern doesn’t ever want that era to return and the truth is it won’t the league will always be fake now, players will give generic rehearsed interviews, they will read cards and memorize their lines before they speak on NBA Cares commercials, they will do whatever it takes to be accepted by corporate America and it is their right to do it. They want the check, they want to maximize their money, they want to be loved by everyone and hated by none and thats fine. They will do it. Look at how LeBron shyed away from being hated after “The Decision”, Durant, Howard a lot of these guys can’t be the villain and they are too afraid to. The league is no longer natural, it is fake and it is full of players who are just not strong enough to stand up for what is right.
Below is a must watch video of Iverson, he said these things in 2005 and he lived true to them, he was an intelligent person.
The NBA is bigger now and more global than ever, ratings are higher and it is going to one day become the 2nd biggest sports in the world and that is because of the genius and work ethic of David Stern, he knows whats hes doing. Players have a criteria of what they need to say and what they need to be like and they follow it, a lot of them try to set new trends and become icons like their true hero Allen Iverson once was gut they can’t pull it off, they try to be different but they can’t because that is not who they are and it is not natural.
Take a look at how forced this look feels, the culture has totally changed and it is actually laughable now more than ever. This is not swag, this is not being different. This is a forced look and failed attempt at setting a trend. Take a look at the photo below, this is Allen Iverson at a Philadelphia 76ers game for bobble head night; look at the way he is dressed, still the same as he was 10 years ago, still representing who he is and still true to himself. This is real, this is what “they” hated.
To this day the media continues to destroy Iverson, there is a hate inside media members, executives and the powers that be that still burns their soul. Nightmares of how the young kid from the hoods of Hampton, Virginia rose up and started a revolution that they weren’t able to stop because he was their leagues best player, young black men walking around being themselves while making millions and millions of dollars playing the sport they loved. They had no control and it was because the leader of that generation was the most influential icon this game will ever see, he was running the show and when his game slipped even an inch they chewed him up and spit him out.
They will continue to remind us about the negative things Iverson did, ESPN’s First Take panel held one of the most disrespectful segments the other day when Allen Iverson’s legacy was the topic they talked more about what he didn’t do, and kind of squeezed “ohhh hes a Hall Of Famer”, it was NEGATIVE and its a shame that they continue to dismiss a mans legacy even after he is gone. Take a look below at this video, ESPN even removed it from their channel after getting such negative feedback for disrespecting Iverson, look at how they can’t show respect to this man and his accomplishments for even one second, ranking him as a 7th all time SG?!, constantly reminding us about his “practice” rant as if it was all he will be remembered for.
Than they released a career tribute which seemed like a joke, it was just :37 seconds long and this is what they tweeted, pure disrespect and straight up mocking:
Allen Iverson is gone from the NBA, they achieved what they needed to achieve but to dismiss his legacy is dirty and cruel. This mans impact will live on forever, his shoes continue to sell out in stores across the country, he one of the most popular players of all time behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, he is one of the greatest players and will be remember for everything he did for the NBA.
No matter how much the media tries to put Allen Iverson in a negative light, his fans will never forget what he did, how great he was and his impact will live on in the NBA forever.
There will never be another Allen Iverson.
http://www.balldontstop.com/blackballed-the-media-and-nba-forced-allen-iverson-into-retirement/
August 24, 2013 by BallDontStop 8 Comments
”Recollect your thoughts don’t get caught up in the mix, cause the media is full of dirty tricks” – Tupac Shakur
It is officially the end of an era. Allen Iverson will never ever play basketball again. Though he hadn’t played for 3 years he had held out hope that a team would call, they didn’t and now he is ready to retire. What an amazing career he had, 11 x NBA All-Star, Rookie Of The Year, 4 x Scoring Champion, 2 x All-Star MVP, 2001 NBA MVP, 24,368 career points, 5300 assists, 2000 steals, career average of 26.7 ppg ( 6th all-time)…the man did it all. He possessed the deadliest crossover in NBA history, one of the 5 greatest shooting guards of all-time, the greatest little man to ever play the game and pound for pound the greatest player ever. A future first ballot Hall Of Famer, a once in a generation talent…there are 3 players we will never see again: Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson. He will be missed and he will be remembered for ever, his impact in the NBA lives till this day.
But it wasn’t supposed to end like this. This is not how Iverson was supposed to retire. The fact of the matter is Allen Iverson was forced into retirement….
Allen Iverson was blackballed. They destroyed him. “They” is ESPN, “They” is David Stern, “They” is every executive and coach in the league that had an image of what an NBA player should be like and if you didn’t fulfill it you’d be scrutinized and dogged on your whole career, “They” is the executives in charge of major sports networks ESPN and FOX who continue to tear down Iverson till this very day. Allen Iverson was just too real for the new age clean cut NBA. Simple as that. His entire career he was in a battle with the media and the leagues executives who are extremely clever, genious men in suits that are full of pride, ego and competitiveness just like Allen Iverson was and in to the public he came out the loser of that battle.
They booted him out of the league and walked all over him, he was the NBA executives worst nightmare and he was punished for it his whole career. There is a reason that for the past 3 years out of all the 30 NBA teams not a single team mentioned bringing in Allen Iverson. It is a disgrace, it is a cruel reality this man was unfairly blackballed. The second he slipped, they labelled him a “washed up, selfish, cancerous, alcoholic, gambler who had no place in the NBA. People were left saying ” Man what ever happened to Iverson?”
In a span of 5 years Allen Iverson went from the face of the NBA to out of the league and not receiving a single offer from an NBA team which lead to this retirement.
From the moment this man walked into the league they naturally had a hate for him, he wasn’t clean cut like Michael Jordan, he wasn’t smiling like Magic Johnson and he sure as hell wasn’t Larry Bird. Allen Iverson was different, he was an inner city black american kid that never had anything except basketball and football, he came from a rough background; the gutter, Iverson was from the “hood”. Iverson barely avoided an 18 year jail sentence in his senior year of high school for a bowling alley brawl in which he was accused of throwing a chair at a white female. He was one of the top quarterbacks in the country and would have been in the NFL, but he lost all his offers after that incident. John Thompson took him in at Georgetown, Iverson became a fan favorite there; he brought a never before seen type of flash to the game and he was coming to the NBA.
“They” hated what he represented, they hated how he dressed, how he looked, how he talked, hated his entourage, hated his aura, hated his swagger, his style, his attitude, his confidence and most importantly they hated his power.
The truth is the NBA is a business and sometimes a very dirty business, certain things and plans are strategically carried out to the point where the masses won’t be able to even raise questions, to say things to the average NBA fan such as David Stern and ESPN punished Allen Iverson and threw him out of the league sounds ridiculous, they would laugh at you and think you are stupid but they are just an average fan with an average point of view, an average mindset, brainwashed, victims of the plan, naive puppets.
There was an agenda against Allen Iverson. It is clear, they did not want this man back in the NBA ever again as a matter of fact they didn’t even want to hear his name ever again, they wanted to forget he ever existed. Why?…FEAR! fear that this iconic figure, this revolutionary respected legend who changed the game, the guy who is looked up to by every black athlete may just start one of the most powerful revolutions in sports! How would the NBA promote clean cut, suited up, say the right things type player like Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant if the icon and the biggest trendsetter, the man who is loved by every young athlete in America and one of the most influential athletes ever was still around in the NBA rocking cornrows, tatted up, wearing whatever he wanted, chains, du-rags, hip-hop clothing, sneakers and all types of jewelry while dropping 27 points a night? It wouldn’t work!
The players in the NBA would have continued following Iverson’s lead, he wasn’t changing who he was to be accepted by corporate America and the truth is corporate america, the conservatives were insecure and afraid that this man is not scared of them and that he may just have more power on the league than they did! Iverson refused to be someone else, he refused to be fake, he was honest and truthful in whatever he said and it cost him his career. Iverson had pride, self respect and he wasn’t breaking that for anybody. He would much rather be hated for who he was than be loved for someone he wasn’t. That’s missing in today’s NBA.
If the NBA had it their way they would of had Iverson out of the league by his 3rd year but the problem was his talent and his on court success didn’t allow that to happened! He was so good that they couldn’t deny him, he shut each and every single critic up that said he wouldn’t be able to last in the NBA or he wouldn’t be a star in the league. Through his game on the court and his accomplishments Allen Iverson was now the man who was bridging the gap between the Michael Jordan and LeBron James eras, Iverson had become the face of the league weather they liked it or not.
To corporate white America a black guy wearing baggy clothes, jewelry, tattoos, cornrows and walking around 20 deep was the look of a “criminal” but for David Stern and the rest of the executives in the NBA they would have to accept that this is the look of the face of the NBA and the MVP of the NBA weather they liked it or not. Times had indeed changed.
Allen Iverson truly changed the game, he was now the most loved player in the NBA, his jersey was the highest selling, he was winning scoring title year after year, his style had become mainstream.
Players across the league were now rocking cornrows, tattoos, coming to games in “bling”, fitted caps, baggy jeans and they loved it, it was who they were and it was their life and if somebody asked them to stop it would be obvious racism. Youth all over the world were now dressing this way, it was a frustrating time for the commissioner David Stern and he couldn’t do anything about it, Iverson was the leader of this generation and he was the one who became a cultural icon that brought hip-hop to the NBA. Young players looked up to Allen Iverson, he was admired by the youth and everyone wanted to be like A.I.
Iverson was outspoken, he knew that the league wanted to make him something he was not and he called them out on their tactics time and time again. When he released a rap album in 2002 Stern was irate and threatened to suspend and fine Iverson and the 76ers. Iverson eventually changed the lyrics and didn’t release the album. But it was clear that Stern did not like what this man represented and if he could he would disown Iverson from the league, but AI was just too good, he was the best player in the league for a time period.
You see Stern and his fellow executives had a huge problem…They didn’t like the way players looked and carried themselves now, but it wasn’t like it was hurting their money, to them the look of Allen Iverson wasn’t marketable but IT WAS! They were making major money off this, sleeves, jerseys and NBA merchandise was selling out like never before. Think about it, in the earl 2000′s – about 2007 jerseys, baggy jeans, track suits, tall tees, shoes everything had an NBA patch on it. Watch a rap video from that era all you see these rappers wearing everything had NBA patches on it. The league was making money, it was making a lot of money off of Iverson but the powers that be couldn’t wait for this man to fall off, they couldn’t wait for him to slip so they could bury him.
Iverson was the face of the league, he was making millions and millions of dollars, he was winning MVP’s and scoring titles, he was one of the most respected players in the NBA among his peers and most importantly he was doing it his way. He wouldn’t let the league achieve their agenda, he thought it was one of the most outrageous things in the world that they would attempt to change these athletes by presenting them a different way than who they were, making them look, talk and act a certain way so they could fit the image they had of an “NBA player”. He was right it was disgusting, we live in America, freedom of speech, you do what you feel and this dude was living life his way and he was for a long period one of the best basketball players in the world and he basically said “**** that, this is who I am and this is who I will be and my abilities on the court is all that should matter”
Allen Iverson was a rebel, he was the guy who talk backs to the mean teacher when everyone else is afraid, he was the guy that stood up to the bully at recess and beat him, he was now the dude that would step up and challenge the bully boss in front of everyone else on the job and make the boss look like a goof, no matter what the outcome was, his influence off the court was unstoppable and they couldn’t do anything about it because at the end of the day fans see the NBA as basketball and between those lines AI was still unstoppable.
But they would bring him down because he was calling them out and for so many years he was beating them at their own game and he didn’t need to be in a suit and tie to have power, he touched people all across the world with his authenticity and you loved him because you could relate to him. He was the ultimate underdog that stood up and destroyed every obstacle that came in his way.
The most hated and the most loved NBA player of his generation, either you thought he was everything that is wrong with the NBA or you respected his game, his beliefs, his honesty and his realness.
It is widely known in the media and sports world that David Stern has a lot of control over the media and ESPN specifically, the NBA has a huge deal with ESPN(NBA on ESPN is a brand of its own) they control what is written, what is talked about, who is interviewed and basically how it is presented. Players are trained and taught in their rookie years and throughout their careers by public relations teams on what to say, how to say it…that is why you hear so many generic interviews by stars in the league. The league had become a business that had a mission to promote a new age and new look NBA, Stern had enough of it. For so long his league was being controlled by someone he did not like so he took many steps to ensure he came out the winner of this behind the scenes battle he had with Allen Iverson.
In 2004 Allen Iverson was on top of the basketball world having one of his best seasons, averaging 31 ppg, 8 apg and 2.4 spg he was an MVP candidate yet again he was still outspoken and was quite comfortable being himself, the league looked much different than it did in the 90′s when Michael Jordan was playing. Kobe Bryant one of the leagues best players at the time had just be charged for sexual harassment, That same year in a Detroit Pistons vs Indiana Pacers game a huge brawl broke out involving Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jermaine O’Neal and other NBA players, fans got involved and Artest stormed into the stands attacking fans. Heavy fines and long suspensions were handed out, but the NBA’s image had taken a massive hit. This was horrible for the league, Stern and fellow executives in the NBA were irate and vowed to clean the NBA up.
Its like they went into a lab and designed a step by step plan to achieve a new look NBA, step number 1 was to attack and destroy the roots. In 2005 Stern implemented the NBA Dress Code, players were pissed off and Allen Iverson being the leader of that culture in the NBA was obviously the first to speak:
“They’re targeting guys who dress like me—guys who dress hip-hop. Put a murderer in a suit, and he’s still a murderer. It sends a bad message to kids.”
“The dress code is not who I am and doesn’t allow me to express myself.”
That 04-05 season Steve Nash won MVP, than in 05-06 he won it again. This was good for Stern, he finally had a clean cut friendlier looking star who was representing the league very well and it was taking steps in the right direction to a cleaner NBA. But Allen Iverson was still around, dressing how he wanted, he even wore baggy suits and his influence was still running hard throughout the NBA. However new young stars like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony had made their way into the league and were establishing themselves nicely, Kobe Bryant was now the best basketball player in the league. LeBron James had arrived and was becoming the biggest star in the league but Allen Iverson was still balling!
2005-06 was one of Allen Iverson’s best seasons, at the age of 31 he was averaging 33.0 PPG and 8 apg. He was at the top of his game and was still one of the best players in the NBA. It was that year that invitations were sent out to NBA players by Jerry Colangelo, head director of USA Basketball to participate in team USA Basketballs training camp which would ultimately select a team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Every premier player in the NBA was invited from Kobe to Carmelo to Gilbert Arenas all the way down to guys like Shane Battier and Kirk Hinrich. Everyone except for the 2nd leading scorer in the NBA Allen Iverson.
Iverson was team USA’s best player in 2004 and was always excited to return, he played his *** off that year and Team USA finished a disappointment 3rd and they blamed Iverson. He made it clear that he loved representing his country and was excited to do it again in 2008. They weren’t having him, this is where it all started, this was the beginning of the end for Allen Iverson. The league had started to move themselves away from Allen Iverson, they weren’t going to represent the NBA and the USA with a guy who looked like Iverson, a player as defiant and influential as Allen Iverson. Iverson responded with a 47 point performance on national TV that week, he was frustrated but he accepted it, didn’t make any excuses and moved on. He knew what was up.
The media had started to turn on AI more than ever, he was being pushed away from the spotlight, the league was moving itself away from Allen Iverson. New stars had arrived and they were pushing this new age NBA very heavily, Stern started the NBA Cares initiative, players were beginning to get fined heavily the second they spoke out about refs or owners and Iverson had just been traded to the Denver Nuggets.
It was just 5 years ago, Allen Iverson had just come off a season in which he averaged 26.4 PPG (3rd in the league), 7.1 apg, 2.0 spg and shot a career high 46% while sharing the shine with young superstar Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets won 50 games that season and were swept by eventual NBA Champions Los Angeles Lakers. At age 33 at that time Allen Iverson was not showing a single sign of slowing down, he swore his body could play till the age of 40 a killer first step, jump shot wetter than ever, playing smarter and more efficiently than ever! Despite all this, Iverson coming off one of the best years of his career did not get selected to any of the 3 All-NBA teams(voted by executives and gms).
He was than traded to the Detroit Pistons which was the beginning of the end, Iverson sacrificed individual stats and was disrespectfully asked to come off the bench for a guy named Rodney Stuckey. This was the end.
That same season Allen Iverson was asked how he felt about the NBA Cares Initiative, he did not take part in it. These comments you are about to read below are probably one of the main reasons Stern made sure Allen Iverson doesn’t get back in the NBA, this is what he had to say about the NBA Cares Program pushed by Stern:
“Fake,” said the 10-time all-star who plays for the Detroit Pistons.
Iverson went on to say that he prefers the cameras not be around when he helps others less fortunate than him.
“I just look forward to doing it. I don’t need all the publicity that comes with it. I don’t need that. When it’s time for me to get toward that gate, either He [is] gonna say, ‘Come in,’ or He [is] gonna say, ‘Turn around.’ And a camera won’t decide whether I get in or not.”
”I’ve done a lot of good things in my life and done a lot of bad things in my life so I don’t know. I hope the good things outweigh the bad things. I’m damn sure I don’t want to go to hell.”
That year in the Playoffs Allen Iverson was destroyed by the media, he had left the team due to a back injury and was not on the roster for the Playoffs. But ABC disrespectfully joked about him on National TV by putting up this chart comparing Billups and Iverson(remember Iverson was gone). This was the ultimate slap in the face.
After putting up career lows on a team where he was clearly sacrificing individual stats, Iverson was labelled a “washed up and selfish player who wouldn’t come off the bench”. Iverson had just gone from the 3rd leading scorer in the NBA to being asked to come off the bench for scrubs and young unestablished players. After receving no interest in the 2009 free agency due to his refusal to come off the bench he ended up signing with Memphis, hoping he could prove that he indeed has not lost a step. But it was too late, Lionell Hollins benched Allen Iverson behind Mike Conley! This was one of the most disrespectful moves in recent memory, Iverson had been told he would start and now he was back in the same situation he was the year before in Detroit. Iverson immediately left the team, the media and one bad situation had taken him from one of the biggest stars in the world all the way down to a “bench player”.
Allen Iverson had every reason in the world to be starting over anyone. He was one season removed from average 26 ppg and 8 apg on a 50 win team and now was being disrespected, the media loved it! Iverson was honest, he did not and was not going to come off the bench because he felt it was disrespectful to even have that thought about him let alone ask him to actually do it. They pointed to Iverson’s age of 34 and said he needs to come off the bench but Jason Kidd was still starting, Kevin Garnett was still starting, Vince Carter was still starting, Steve Nash was still starting, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Jermaine O’Neal, Shaq, Grant Hill, Tim Duncan all these guys were still starting in the NBA! Why not one of the most accomplished players in league history who just came off a year in which he was having a career year?!
The New York Knicks passed on Allen Iverson in 2009, it was insane. Allen Iverson had NO interest from any teams. Say he wasn’t an all-time great and was just judged off what he did in Detroit he was still averaging 18 ppg, 5 apg and getting to the line every night! He was still quick and could go off when given the green light.
He took a month off, came back home and played 25 games for the Philadelphia 76ers out of shape, a little chubbier, a bad knee under a horrible Princeton Offense run by Eddie Jordan he still averaged 14 ppg, 5 apg and got to the line the most out of all the players on the Philadelphia 76ers roster. Iverson was brought in and all he was expected to do was a be a good teammate, not cause problems off the court and show up on time and he did all those things, he didn’t cause one problem but of course the media doesn’t want you to know that! They would be on Iverson the second he was a minute late to practice, one bad move and they’d be all over him ready to destroy him! But they had no story to report because Iverson was passing the ball, he was playing a team orientated game and he wasn’t causing issues in the locker room.
His daughter reportedly suffered an illness, he left the team. He was gone. Never to be seen again on NBA floor. He had lost faith in the NBA, here was a guy who made the league millions and millions of dollars, helped turn it into a global sport and gave so much to the NBA and its fans and now he had no interest from teams, his value had hit rock bottom, he was pushed away. Than things started to get very strange.
Iverson was in a dark state, in a span of 3 years he had gone from averaging 33.0 ppg and 8 apg all-time great stats, explosive as can be and torching defenders and was labelled a “washed up, team killer who needed to come off the bench” It all made sense to the public here was the guy they labelled a “street thug” back when he was the MVP, here was the guy that talked about how he doesn’t need to “Practice!?” and now it made sense to an average fan, the media is one of the most powerful things in today’s world it was extremely easy for them to give AI these labels, people bought into them, teams and executives and gms, coaches and fans bought it into it! But they didn’t see what was happening, this man was being intentionally destroyed.
Than out of no where the most shocking reports began to come out about Iverson and they were all being reported by his long time friend, the man that had much love for Iverson, the man that had gone out his way and made enemies standing up for Allen Iverson. Stephen A. Smith. Out of the journalists in the world there was one man who had the credibility and the respect to stand up for A.I. and be taken seriously for it, than he turned on him. Smith turned on Iverson at the worst point in his career, he called him a liar for the story about Iverson’s daughter being ill and two weeks later he revealed that Allen Iverson had a “alcohol and gambling problem and was tearing his family apart” Wow. This was strange.
Out of all people Stephen A. Smith was the first person to walk over Allen Iverson for the first time in his career and he did it at the worst time of Iverson’s career, when the man was down and out he walked all over him. The thing was Smith had recently been let go by Fox Sports, he wrote this column in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Smith’s biggest criticism his entire career was that he wasn’t objective when it came to Iverson. A couple months later Stephen A. Smith had captivated all the way to the top of ESPN the biggest sports network in the world, it was like he sold his soul with that Iverson report.
Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy confirmed that referees would purposely punish Allen Iverson in games therefore he would bet against his teams and would usually win. Disgusting.
Usually whenever we heard a story about Allen Iverson it was a negative report, ESPN would bash him, Fox would bash him all the major media outlets had it out for AI. It was like they were punishing him for all the years he was able to get away with doing what he wanted because he was too good to deny. It was like the league had sent a memo out to everyone do not write anything positive about Iverson, do not let this man get signed to an NBA team.
Years passed and Iverson ended up playing professionally in Turkey, he left half way through the season. It was clear his heart was in one place and that was to be playing basketball in the NBA and he knew he could play at a high level. Iverson numerous times said he would take any role if he could get back in the NBA, he was willing to come off the bench, he badly wanted to play basketball. Fans wanted him back, there was even a petition online to get Allen Iverson back in the NBA. The only NBA Coach who lobbied for Allen Iverson to get back in the NBA was Larry Brown, he passionately spoke about this topic and thought it was crazy that no team was giving Iverson a call. Brown was let go by the Charlotte Bobcats and now coaches college basketball in the NCAA.
Nobody wanted Allen Iverson. Nobody mentioned Allen Iverson. His legacy was being tarnished, reports all over the internet about his divorces, how he is a bad father, how he is broke and cant afford a cheeseburger. Whenever a professional team overseas made an offer to the former NBA MVP he declined it, how could he be broke? Even 2 years removed from the NBA all we heard were negative harsh stories about Allen Iverson. The media was killing him even after his career ended. There were numerous national TV games where his achievements were left off television, where he wasn’t mentioned by broadcasters when they talked about the all-time leading scorers and ppg averages in the Playoffs, Allen Iverson is 2nd all-time in Playoff PPG Average behind Michael Jordan. It was one thing to boot him out of the league and make sure he never plays again, but to dismiss his legacy was straight up disgusting.
Ever since Iverson left, people were shocked at how he can’t receive an offer from an NBA team, not even a workout to see how much game he has left. What was preventing him getting back in the league the past 3 years? Was it his age? His ability? It couldn’t be.
Check out this list below of the oldest NBA Players in the league at the moment and the free agents, all were around Iverson’s age and Jason Kidd who retired this off season was also playing quality minutes last year at the age of 40.
The only two players on that list more accomplished than Allen Iverson are Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. If Derek Fisher, Marcus Camby, Andre Miller, Juwan Howard and Jerry Stackhouse could still get a run why not Allen Iverson? It sure as hell wasn’t his ability either because Iverson at his worst was playing great team basketball and averaging 14 ppg and 5 apg for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2010. A lot of these veterans that are still starting aren’t putting up numbers like that and they aren’t getting to the line like AI was either.
In 2012 Allen Iverson was bringing in the game ball at the Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics in game 6 of the East-Semis. He got a standing ovation that last for about 2 minutes, the crowd in Philly was showing love to their hero, it was a bitter sweet moment because everyone knew Allen Iverson should have been getting introduced in the starting line ups tonight. Iverson made way to the court still dressed like he always was, fitted cap, baggy jeans, chain and jewelry, a Lou Williams jersey, a big 76ers jacket. It was epic. Iverson also had an interview in which he humbly stated how he so badly wants to play basketball still. Continue reading after these videos….
It was sad, Allen Iverson should have been closing out his career playing for a contender somewhere. He should have got to leave on his own terms to a standing ovation, his career should have had a better ending. Instead it was tragic, the media made it tragic, the executives and David Stern didn’t let him have one last run all they did was put on their smiles and use the power of their suits and media to promote and present there league like it is 100% clean and nothing behind closed doors takes place. They tried to take a **** on his legacy.
It is disgusting that Allen Iverson was blocked out from all 30 NBA teams from a contract offer, he would have taken the league minimum and he would have made the team that money back just through jersey sales alone. There wasn’t anything to lose by bringing him in, instead he was disrespected even more this past year when a D-League team offered him a contract, why would a guy who was pushed out of the league, one of the 30 greatest players of all-time, who should be starting on a Playoff team a guy who should be chasing a championship in his final years in the league play for a damn D-League team? It was like they were mocking him and tarnishing his legacy as if he was just any other player.
What did Allen Iverson do wrong? What did he do to deserve this? Its a crying shame. Players that went into the stands and fought fans are still in the NBA, players that brought guns to the locker room managed to get back on teams, guys who have done some of the worst things you can do off the court are still in the NBA and some of them are even broadcasters or coaches. But Allen Iverson couldn’t get one last run. Its a shame. He was forced into this retirement.
Iverson was not an angel, he made mistakes, he said things he should not have said, he could have worked harder, he could have partied less but at least he was himself, what you saw is what you got with A.I. Weather you like him or not you have to appreciate his honestly, dude was the realist player to ever play in the NBA and he valued his self respect and pride more than anything and he took the loss for it and the loss for it was his NBA career, he says he doesn’t lose sleep over it and he’d do it the same way over again. Real man.
Some will agree with this article and some won’t, Allen Iverson was a basketball player that became bigger than the game and we should take something away from this entire saga. Its a cold world. It is 2013 and we still live in a world where straight up racism lives strongly, stereotyping, judging, scrutinizing, hating, degrading and tarnishing someones worth is something people have gotten used to…..Allen Iverson was a victim of all these things. The people in power doing these things are just getting smarter and know how to hide these cruel acts under a blanket better than ever, its sad but its the truth.
Allen Iverson is gone from the NBA. But his impact will live on forever. He truly changed the game, he paved the way for so many young black athletes from the inner city to rise up and have an identity while they become stars in the NBA. Allen Iverson was “SWAG” before it was even a term, Iverson made it okay for NBA players to do so many things they do now. He will always be a hero to many. But he also will be the toughest and most powerful figure that the NBA ever had to deal with.
Its 2013 and the league has changed tremendously from the time A.I. was in his prime and even since he left in 2010. David Stern was able to escape the most powerful rush of hip-hop culture in the mid 2000′s that in his eyes was hurting his league, he got control of his ship again and created a league that is more accepted.
Playesrs get it now, they learned from Iverson. He was the bad boy they admired and they wish they had the kahunas to do and say some of the things he said and a lot of them probably would, only if they were as talented as Iverson though, because A.I. said and called the league out on it a lot and they couldn’t do a damn thing about it because he was the most talented guy in the league and the most popular!
Now the league is in the hands of guys like LeBron, Durant, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin a lot of these guys are all from the inner cities just like Iverson was, they are tatted up just like Iverson was you can see where they come from but its like they have dismissed it in a way, they are rehearsed and its safe to say the new age NBA is FAKE. Stern is totally fine with that, he wants guys to talk a certain way, dress and act a certain way so his league will be more marketable.
There are the few guys like DeMarcus Cousins who speak out and say how they feel, talk how they feel and they get fined heavily and will get sent to the D-League immediately. Guys like Brandon Jennings from Compton will get left off Team USA training camp invites just because of what they represent or what brand they endorse. The NBA’s policies are much more strict now because Stern doesn’t ever want that era to return and the truth is it won’t the league will always be fake now, players will give generic rehearsed interviews, they will read cards and memorize their lines before they speak on NBA Cares commercials, they will do whatever it takes to be accepted by corporate America and it is their right to do it. They want the check, they want to maximize their money, they want to be loved by everyone and hated by none and thats fine. They will do it. Look at how LeBron shyed away from being hated after “The Decision”, Durant, Howard a lot of these guys can’t be the villain and they are too afraid to. The league is no longer natural, it is fake and it is full of players who are just not strong enough to stand up for what is right.
Below is a must watch video of Iverson, he said these things in 2005 and he lived true to them, he was an intelligent person.
The NBA is bigger now and more global than ever, ratings are higher and it is going to one day become the 2nd biggest sports in the world and that is because of the genius and work ethic of David Stern, he knows whats hes doing. Players have a criteria of what they need to say and what they need to be like and they follow it, a lot of them try to set new trends and become icons like their true hero Allen Iverson once was gut they can’t pull it off, they try to be different but they can’t because that is not who they are and it is not natural.
Take a look at how forced this look feels, the culture has totally changed and it is actually laughable now more than ever. This is not swag, this is not being different. This is a forced look and failed attempt at setting a trend. Take a look at the photo below, this is Allen Iverson at a Philadelphia 76ers game for bobble head night; look at the way he is dressed, still the same as he was 10 years ago, still representing who he is and still true to himself. This is real, this is what “they” hated.
To this day the media continues to destroy Iverson, there is a hate inside media members, executives and the powers that be that still burns their soul. Nightmares of how the young kid from the hoods of Hampton, Virginia rose up and started a revolution that they weren’t able to stop because he was their leagues best player, young black men walking around being themselves while making millions and millions of dollars playing the sport they loved. They had no control and it was because the leader of that generation was the most influential icon this game will ever see, he was running the show and when his game slipped even an inch they chewed him up and spit him out.
They will continue to remind us about the negative things Iverson did, ESPN’s First Take panel held one of the most disrespectful segments the other day when Allen Iverson’s legacy was the topic they talked more about what he didn’t do, and kind of squeezed “ohhh hes a Hall Of Famer”, it was NEGATIVE and its a shame that they continue to dismiss a mans legacy even after he is gone. Take a look below at this video, ESPN even removed it from their channel after getting such negative feedback for disrespecting Iverson, look at how they can’t show respect to this man and his accomplishments for even one second, ranking him as a 7th all time SG?!, constantly reminding us about his “practice” rant as if it was all he will be remembered for.
Than they released a career tribute which seemed like a joke, it was just :37 seconds long and this is what they tweeted, pure disrespect and straight up mocking:
Allen Iverson is gone from the NBA, they achieved what they needed to achieve but to dismiss his legacy is dirty and cruel. This mans impact will live on forever, his shoes continue to sell out in stores across the country, he one of the most popular players of all time behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, he is one of the greatest players and will be remember for everything he did for the NBA.
No matter how much the media tries to put Allen Iverson in a negative light, his fans will never forget what he did, how great he was and his impact will live on in the NBA forever.
There will never be another Allen Iverson.
http://www.balldontstop.com/blackballed-the-media-and-nba-forced-allen-iverson-into-retirement/
