Iverson (2014) - full transcript

[ ambience ]

[ children shouting ]

Man: Tell me

about Allen Iverson.

That's my cousin!

That's my cousin.

He a good player

on the court.

Yeah.

He got bad behavior.

- I'll take--



- He got a bad attitude.

He got a real bad attitude.

Sometimes.

Why do you say that?

[ talking at once ]

When he came here to talk,

he signed no--

he didn't sign no autographs

he just walked on the court.

He think he better

than everybody.

He pushed this one boy

from out of the limo.

I'll take up for him



at basketball,

but I don't think I'll

take up for him in public.

[ Nina Simone performing "Don't

Let Me Be Misunderstood" ]

♪ Don't you know no one

alive can always be an angel ♪

♪ When everything goes wrong

you seem so bad ♪

♪ But I'm just a soul

whose intentions are good ♪

♪ Oh Lord, please don't

let me be misunderstood ♪

♪ I try so hard ♪

♪ So please, don't let me

be misunderstood ♪

Everybody know why we're here.

Um, I'm formally announcing

my retirement from basketball.

I never imagined

the day coming,

but I knew it would

come, and, um...

I'm happy with the decision

that I'm making, and, um...

it was a great ride.

Man: Allen Iverson

could've been

the most popular athlete

the NBA has ever had.

Male announcer:

Raw lightning.

Iverson all the way. Yes!

- Take that!

- I do not believe it!

You can't take your eyes

off him.

Male announcer:

Iverson in OT.

Two seconds and open twofer!

He's just, pound for pound,

one of the greatest

that's ever played

professional sports.

The steal by Iverson

posting in!

- Wow!

- He won the game!

He won the game!

After Michael Jordan,

he's, like, the biggest

NBA star in China.

He's big in France.

He's big in Europe.

He crossed race,

religion, gender.

Women loved him.

Guys loved him.

Some people get scared

of who you are, man.

When you got the effect

on a whole generation,

then all they want to do

is dig up some dirt on you.

We need to get

to the bottom of this,

and the league does as well.

This could ultimately impact

his big picture legacy.

We're sitting here.

I'm supposed to be

the franchise player,

and we're in here

talking about practice.

He's got the reputation

for what might diplomatically

be called

ungentlemanly behavior,

and she's talking about

decorum and everything else.

Listen.

We're talking about practice.

Jalen Rose: When you're

becoming a cultural icon,

you're making a lot

of people upset.

Man: It suggests that success,

wealth, all that,

is tied into this gangster

prison attitude.

You get paid to get on that mic

and talk shit, don't you?

Man: Yes.

Don't you get paid?

Allen Iverson in trouble

with the law again.

He could be headed to jail.

Gangsta rap glorifies

a violent lifestyle.

Still calling us hoes.

It's calling us niggers.

They're scared to sign the guy

because of his reputation.

You're not gonna sign him

because of all the stuff

he's bringing in his locker room

that you don't know about.

I go through it, man,

like, I really--

I really go through it.

It's like--

Stephen A. Smith:

Go through what, exactly?

Hell.

Iverson: I wish it didn't

have to be like that,

to have to go

through the things

that I went through in my life.

But I can't cry about that.

This is what it is.

[ Run DMC performing

"It's All That" ]

Huh!

[ police siren blaring ]

[ dog barks ]

♪ Money is the key

to end all your woes... ♪

Iverson: It was tough

being from the projects.

Sometimes there was no food.

Most of the time we didn't

have lights or water,

and those things were hard,

but I didn't look at it

like it was something odd.

It was natural, like, I felt

like this is what we come from.

My mom, she had to do

what she had to do,

to try to help us

get out of the ghetto.

She had different odd jobs.

She would stay in bingo,

thinking she was going

to win the world.

She told me

that I could be anything,

so whenever I kind of fell down,

I always got back up.

[ baby cooing ]

[ indistinct voices on TV ]

[ laughter ]

Iverson: I don't know

my biological father,

but I had somebody took care

of me since I was three months.

My dad was in and out

of jail most of my life.

I actually seen him

get arrested.

I was, like, 13 years old,

and I ran outside

when I see them arresting him.

I was hurt because I felt like

you going back to jail again.

You just came out, you know.

We miss you.

We come visit you.

We see you.

And it's tough

when we gotta walk away,

when the visiting hours are

over, and then for you to do it

all over again, you know,

it was kind of disappointing.

[ ♪♪ ]

It was just tough,

you know, just trying

to stay out of trouble and

just stay on a positive path,

seeing like most of the negative

things that were going on

in my neighborhood

was the right thing to do.

I was just running

in the streets,

hanging with guys

that were 12 and 13 years old,

sniffing cocaine

right by the dumpster.

I'll never forget it.

Then they say to me, like,

"Here, Chuck.

Hit that. Hit that."

And I'd be, like,

"No, man. I'm gonna be

an NBA basketball player.

I'm gonna be

a professional football player."

My mom not being there

all the time,

and my dad not being there

all of the time, it was tough,

but I have friends there,

you know, and I saw

a lot of things that made me

the person that I am now.

[ dog barking ]

Jamie Rogers:

I was seven when we moved

into Stuart Gardens.

Bubba-Chuck, he was nine.

The first time

I ever met Bubba-Chuck,

he asked me

did I play football,

and I told him I didn't know

anything about football.

Then he said, "Put the ball

like this and just throw it,"

and I just threw

a perfect spiral.

He could teach anybody.

He just wanted you to be good.

Iverson: Jamie was cool.

He was my little man,

the only white boy

in an all-black neighborhood.

He used to get

picked on a lot,

or whatever,

and I used to just

look out for him,

make sure he was all right.

Rogers: Bubba made it

a lot easier for me,

'cause me and him,

we was just best friends.

Linda Rogers:

Bubba took Jamie under

his wing and taught him

a lot about sports, and Bubba

spent the night with us a lot.

Iverson: I remember one time,

I was getting waves in my hair,

whatever.

I was, like,

"You know, what you do, man,

"you take--

You wash your hair in soap,

"and then you just keep

brushing it all the time, man,

and you'll get waves

or whatever."

And I remember one day just

having him in the tub, like,

had his head down in the tub,

washing his hair and then,

you know, put grease in his hair

and brush his hair trying...

Trying to get white boy waves.

[ laughing ]

That was

my little partner though.

They got so used to Jamie being

one of them after so many years,

that they'd be playing

a ball game in the backyard,

and they'd be calling him

a nigger, too,

because that's how the black

kids talked to each other.

Iverson: His mom,

she was the best.

When my mom wasn't home,

or I couldn't get in the house,

something like that, you know,

she was right there for me.

Cooked for me

all the time, you know.

I fried a lot of fish and

chicken and pork chops, too.

He was always a real

good kid.

He always cared

about the younger ones.

He always looked out for them.

When I was with Bubba,

that's what I always saw.

She loved me to death,

and vice-versa.

[ ♪♪ ]

Gary Moore:

This is where it all started,

the back of Aberdeen

Elementary School.

This was my father's field.

My dad was one of the people

that started the Aberdeen

Fathers League.

They were guys

who dedicated their lives

to helping young boys grow

to be responsible young men

through football.

A lot of what

Allen knows today

was learned on this field.

Iverson: Mo meant a lot

in our lives coming up.

A lot of guys just wanted

to get off the streets

and get up under him

to feel like

they were doing

something positive.

Moore: Allen and some of

the other kids needed me

to do things

that fathers would normally do.

I never had a biological son,

but I felt that sort

of connection with him.

Pick it up, Bubba-Chuck!

From the moment I met Al,

I knew that he was special.

He was special to me.

Most kids his age

would not have been able

to handle the things

that he's been able to endure.

I'm talking about the time

that he spent on the streets,

the times that he had

to feed himself.

I felt like God sent me

you know, to him, and when

I saw that he looked up to me,

I wanted to use that

in a positive way.

I used to tell him,

"You're going to mean to people

"what people like Martin

Luther King meant to people,

what Malcolm X

meant to people."

Iverson: I just respected him

so much for how he went

about his life. He went

to work, had a real job.

I saw how he treated

his only daughter.

I just believed in him,

and it was easy for me

to listen to him.

[ ♪♪ ]

Moore: From day one,

he actually wanted

to jump right in

and play.

He wanted

to be my star player,

and that aggression

and that enthusiasm

is what I admired most

about him.

And when I saw him

dance and move,

completely reverse his feel

all the way back around

and not allow any of

those kids to touch him,

that's when I really said,

"Wow. This boy is somethin'."

Bob Barefield:

When he was about six years old,

I saw him steal an inbound play

and shoot a shot

behind his head, and it fell

right down the basket.

He kept running.

He never turned around.

I said, "This young guy

has a future in basketball."

Iverson: Barefield was,

you know, tough on me at times.

When I got in the van

in the morning,

he always made me

and my friends comb our hair.

After not combing it for days.

Barefield: He was several steps

ahead of his age group

at that time,

and you could tell that.

Chuck was always a competitor,

you know, hate to lose.

When he lost, I had

to give him that eye,

you know what I'm talking about,

and say, "All right now."

But he never

was disrespectful.

Never could you say that

he was a disrespectful kid.

Jamie Rogers:

He'd be at my house

at 6:30 in the morning,

knocking on the door.

"Come on, man. Let's go

to the basketball court."

I'm like, "Bubba,

it's 7:00 in the morning."

He committed himself to sports.

He worked at it,

and he worked at it

because he knew that was

going to be his way out.

Johnson: When he was

in the 7th grade,

the high schools had what

we call a turf war over him.

Every high school

in the two cities

wanted Chuck to come

to their school.

Iverson: But then

I failed the 8th grade.

I failed the 8th grade, man.

That was the most

humiliating thing, ever.

I just wasn't getting it done,

not coming to school

till the last period,

so I could play

in a game that night.

I didn't like school.

I especially

didn't like the hours.

You know, Mo saw

the potential that I had,

and he saw that

I was ruining my life.

There were so many dangers

of being young,

and being at the wrong place

at the wrong time

could very easily

cost you your life.

Iverson: And I was

headed down that path,

just fighting

all the time and, you know,

just doing negative things.

Moore: I knew that

it was time for me

to be more than a coach to him.

Iverson: And he came and got me,

took me to Hampton,

and I lived with him.

[ ♪♪ ]

We went from the projects

to a real house.

[ chuckles ]

It was a big difference.

Moore: I told Al back then,

"You're gonna always

have a room in my house."

That middle window,

that was Al's room.

We sat up together all night

watching football games,

watching basketball games,

eating popcorn, watching movies,

you know, doing stuff together.

Mo just didn't never have

no money.

My dad and my mom

would give me $100 at a time.

I asked Mo for some money,

it would be $5, $10,

maybe $20 at the most.

And Christmas time,

he used to shop for my clothes.

Oh, man. It was just--

It was rough.

But he would feed me.

He would take me to practice.

He would take me to school.

He would talk to my teachers

when they was talking

about suspending me.

He would go to the school

and talk to the people

and make sure I got detention

instead of them suspending me.

I remember getting hugged,

and then I remember

almost getting thrown

through a car windshield

when I missed

69 days at school.

Moore: He was just about

to lose it all, academically.

Mo said, "I'm a show you

how serious I am about this."

When he grabbed me and threw me

on the car, first of all,

I was just shocked.

And then you got

your friends around,

and it happened.

It's embarrassing,

and it hurts that much more.

A light went off in my head,

and I knew

how serious he was

because he never

got that mad at me.

Moore:

He knew that I was willing

to go through

that windshield with him,

to help him get the message.

I felt that he loved me,

and he wasn't my blood.

I wasn't going

to allow him to fail.

[ ♪♪ ]

Janet Baily:

Our kids laugh at us

and call this the Allen shrine.

We have our own collection

of bobbleheads.

We were lucky enough to be

at his MVP ceremony for the NBA.

That was the highlight

of our life.

[ crowd cheering ]

And Iverson

cans both free throws.

You see Mike Bailey

coaching from the sideline.

Iverson: He was

my basketball coach,

and she was

one of my teachers,

so I couldn't escape

neither one.

[ laughing ]

My name's Allen Iverson.

I'm a member of

[ indistinct ] High School.

Janet: He was definitely

the class clown kind of kid.

He was a kid

that would sing on the bus.

He was the kind of--

But not in class.

He was quiet in class.

Respectful.

But you know,

when he got with his peers,

he was a jokester.

He was a singer.

He was... He was Allen.

Most people who really knew him

way back when

call him

Bubba-Chuck or Bubba.

I called him Bubby one time,

and he said,

"Ms. Bailey, now you've got

everybody in the world

calling me Bubby."

"It just won't work."

Iverson: Bethel was one of

the best times in my life.

I met my best friend, my wife.

For me that was, like,

love at first sight.

She was the girl that I always

wanted to meet, and I wanted

to be a part of her life.

Mike: I've said this many,

many times to people that,

when I really realized

how to coach Allen was,

I learned how to coach

with my heart,

not try to outmaneuver him,

outsmart him,

because that was

never gonna work.

Good hustle by Iverson.

Boy, he's fast.

Iverson:

I played JV in 8th grade,

and that transition was easy.

I scored a lot.

Janet: I asked Mike if he was

gonna play Allen as a freshman.

He didn't usually do

that kind of thing, and he said,

"I'd play him as an 8th grader

if it were legal."

Iverson: My 9th grade year

going up to the varsity,

I broke my ankle that year,

and I didn't do

what I wanted to do,

but once I got to 10th grade,

that's when everything clicked,

football and basketball.

[ ♪♪ ]

Iverson, always elusive,

gets away from another would-be

tackler, and turns it on!

Still wants to throw, now does,

and he's got Terrell

inside the 10!

He was first team all-state

as a quarterback and safety

and the best player

in the state.

Iverson will take it

on the one hop,

trying to get a block

on the sideline, and he does.

He's down the sideline

looking for one block.

- He may go! He will!

- Oh!

Moore: He played quarterback,

ran back punts,

ran back kickoffs and played

in the defensive backfield.

And if it wasn't

for Allen Iverson,

it would've been

a touchdown.

He's the best football player

I've ever seen play the game.

A loose ball inside.

Green has it stolen by Iverson.

Iverson, with nobody there...

[ cheering ]

Look at the crowd!

People would stand

in line for hours

to get to see him play.

Bubba-Chuck, and a trade.

He looks like he's on ice!

He just glides in there. Oh!

Stolen! Look out, Fox!

Oh! Showtime!

Once I started getting

national notoriety,

that felt good too, just,

looking in those magazines

and seeing myself

at number one in the country.

This is Iverson

on the naked bootleg.

Racing for the corner...

Touchdown!

Iverson: My junior year,

we won the state in football

and won it in basketball.

The lob... Slam dunk!

The alley-oop! It's over!

It's over!

Mike: Right after

the state championship in 1993,

Allen comes running,

and I come running.

I say, "I love you, Allen."

He says, "I love you, Coach."

Very special moment

in both of our lives.

We wanted this, man.

First one. Feel good.

Congratulations

on two state championships!

All right.

Iverson: It was a day

that I'll never forget.

It was one of the greatest

times of my life.

The Bruins have done it!

Iverson: And then

they threw me in jail.

Female reporter 1: 18-year-old

Allen Iverson may end up

spending the next

several years behind bars.

Female reporter 2:

Star football and basketball

athlete from Bethel High,

Allen Iverson faced

three felony counts...

Female reporter 3:

One of the top high school

athletes in the country

to go on trial.

A fight started

in a bowling alley.

And it's white people

fighting black people.

Female reporter:

A chair-throwing brawl,

which injured half a dozen

people at this bowling alley...

But it was far more black people

than it was white people.

I had friends hiding

under chairs, you know.

Stuff like that

kind of scares me.

Man 1: Is the green light on?

Man 2: It's on.

Yeah. You're taping me!

Man 1:

I'm taping right now.

February 14th, 1993.

It was approximately

midnight--

myself, Allen,

Michael Simmons

and my cousin

Dwayne Campbell,

we went bowling, and we're

just having a good time.

Mike: All three students

at Bethel,

friends of Allen,

lifetime friends.

Allen had lots of friends,

black and white.

I mean, I taught at Bethel

for a long time,

and he had as many white friends

as he did black friends.

Iverson [ with high voice ]:

How you doing, little guys?

Little buddies?

[ normal voice ]

See you all later.

That's just the type

of person he is,

with a real great

sense of humor.

He was pretty much

trash-talker out of the crew.

Dwayne Campbell:

We was bowling, I mean, before,

hour, hour and a half

before everything happened.

We was on, like, lanes 8 and 9.

The incidents took place

around lane 32, 33,

totally on the other end

of the bowling alley,

where the concession

stand was at.

I don't even know

how the incident got started,

'cause at the time,

I was on the lane bowling,

and I just-- I hate to admit it

again, but I threw a gutter ball

and I happened to slip at

the time, and I was getting up

off the ground,

and I hear somebody say,

"Who was that guy

in Allen's face?"

Iverson:

They white guys from Poquoson,

and if you're from Virginia,

you know that

some people from Poquoson

don't like black people.

The guys were trying to--

They were messing with him,

try to get in his head.

I remember at times,

I had to grab him.

I was like, "Look, man.

There ain't gonna be

none of this, man."

Simmons:

That scene was, you know,

guy about my height

at the time, white guy,

so I just started

jogging down there.

We was there among friends,

and friends protect friends

when something go down.

Everybody knew that Allen

had the most potential,

so nobody really wants

to see nothing

happen to him.

You don't need this, man.

These guys wanna

bring you down with them.

I see the chair swinging,

and instincts just took over.

The protection came in.

Iverson: I don't remember

exactly how it started.

All I remember

was just fighting,

like, just everywhere.

[ people shouting ]

Iverson: While it was going on,

I stopped and stood there

and just looked around

everywhere,

and it actually scared me,

like, I actually was, like,

"Man, I'm outta here."

First thing,

I see chairs flying,

bowling alley pins.

My friend Dwayne was like,

"Let's go, let's go!"

And somehow or another,

we end up getting out of there.

We all just got in the car

and just went

and got something to eat

'cause we was hungry.

I remember calling Mo and said,

"Mo, I was at the bowling alley,

and this is what happened."

And right then, he'd tell me

today, he knew I was in trouble.

From the moment

that he told me that,

I knew that there

were going to be problems,

and I knew at that point

that we needed a lawyer.

I didn't have a lot

of money, and number two,

I needed an attorney

that was a household name.

I was working at Hampton

University, and Herb Kelly

was one of the attorneys

that worked for the university.

I thought that

if I could get Herb Kelly,

then this case

could quickly go away.

I was sadly mistaken.

Iverson: One day, he told me

the detective called him

and told him, if I didn't

come down there

and take these pictures

that night,

they was gonna arrest me

off the floor of the coliseum,

'cause we had a game that night.

Moore: That was

a Hampton-Bethel game.

That was a game that was going

to be attended by more people

that had ever come to see

a high school basketball game

in the state of Virginia.

And he was, like, they're gonna

come get me off the floor.

So I go down there, me and Mo.

I looked at the pictures

of these guys.

I'm 17, these guys

are 25 and 30 years old.

Plus, people know who I am.

I said, "Look, if I don't take

these pictures,

what's gonna happen?"

And they said they was gonna

arrest me and charge me with it.

So, my lawyer, he said,

"They're gonna arrest you.

Just take the picture."

So I took the picture.

They waited, like, I think,

eight months or maybe longer,

just so they could try me

as an adult.

Moore: We were pretty optimistic

that the truth was gonna

come out and

put this thing behind us,

but it was that first day

in court that led me to believe

that this thing

was far from over,

that these white folks

was not gonna allow this

to be over.

[ gavel strikes ]

Iverson:

In the preliminary hearing,

my lawyer asked the detective,

"Did you tell him, if he

didn't take these pictures,

you were going to arrest him?"

And this is the lead detective.

And the detective said,

"No, he didn't say that."

And right then, me and Mo knew

something was gonna happen.

You know, this is

the lead detective,

and he lied right there

on the stand.

Female reporter 1:

Allen Iverson is charged

with three counts of maiming,

stemming from a brawl

at a bowling alley.

Female reporter 2:

One guy said Iverson

threw a chair at him,

breaking his glasses.

Other people said that Iverson

broke their arm.

One person said

he broke a thumb,

and one Poquoson resident said

she received a gash

in her head.

70-some people

in a bowling alley,

how do you pick

four individuals?

Everyone should've been

charged for their current--

We asked to press charges.

It didn't happen.

I'm the only one

that everybody in there knew.

Had he not been basically

a star at Bethel High,

had he not been

as well-known as him,

then he may not have been

identified by anyone.

He may have been like the other

20 people who were involved

that were not charged.

They found out

from family members

that there was a tape.

And actually,

I think they thought

that would

exonerate because they knew

that Allen hadn't been

directly involved in this.

If you knew what Allen

had on that night,

you saw him leave in that tape.

As everything

was still going on,

and people were

still fighting, and things

were still being thrown,

Allen was on his way

right out the door,

right in front of the camera,

but of course that

never got brought up.

Male reporter:

Iverson's on trial

for participating in a mob

that maimed three people

last February.

It was portrayed to be like

we was acting like a mob

of some sort, like we were

some organized team that go in

and just beat up white people

in a bowling alley that night.

By definition,

there was no mob.

A mob is an assembled group,

assembled before

they get to the scene,

for a specific purpose.

It was just a fight

between individuals

that happened to be blown up

into something that it wasn't.

At 17, to be tried as an adult

for a fight in a bowling alley,

you'd have to think

there was a plan.

People wanted to make

an example of Allen.

Janet: I testified and tried

to make them understand

that he was a good kid,

and he didn't cause us trouble,

and I didn't think

anybody listened to me.

I didn't think anybody cared,

and I came out of there

feeling like he doesn't value

someone who's taught 25 years

as an expert in this field.

Moore: I strongly believe

that there was a conspiracy

to destroy the future of

a young, gifted black person.

This morning, the Bethel

High School basketball guard

was found guilty of maiming

and being a member of a mob.

The verdict was read, and you

could just hear a big, "Aw!"

Just like, "No time left

on the clock,

you just missed

the free throw to win the game."

We just got, you know,

the raw end of the stick.

The question now is,

how much time could Iverson

spend in jail?

He now faces up to 20 years

on each maiming charge.

Up to 60 years on three counts

of maiming by mob.

Iverson:

I didn't think I was, you know,

going to go to jail

or anything like that.

I didn't even think

I would get probation.

I was in the wrong place

at the wrong time.

Simmons: Me and Dwayne,

we was at Allen's house,

and we was just talking,

and I was just, like,

"Yo, I feel we goin'

to jail, Chuck."

He was like,

"No, we're not going to jail."

Iverson: We don't deserve

to go to jail, man.

I'm tired of worrying

about what's gonna happen.

And hearing different people

tell me what can happen.

Like, do this

and that.

Yeah.

You shoulda

this and that.

All these people trying

to tell me what to do and shit.

Those were kids, man.

They had no idea.

They didn't know

racial prejudice.

They didn't know these bigots.

If he asks me,

I'm gonna be, like,

I'm like, you know,

"First of all, I want to...

"I want to thank

my family and friends

"for sticking behind me,

people in the [ indistinct ]

"I want to thank

all the little kids--"

No, no. Let me say...

"Then again,

I want to apologize

to my family and friends..."

Moore: They did not know

that these people were about

to lynch their ass.

These people were about

to railroad you.

If I really did all the stuff,

like they say, you know,

if I would've came

with you all, shit like that,

you know what I'm saying,

the real deal,

came with you all,

hit the girl in the head

with the chair, hit him,

I understand

why that shit happen.

Well, you know damn well

I ain't coming with you all...

You know, I really thought

that I was being railroaded.

Man, this shit can ruin

everybody's lives.

This could turn us

to hardcore criminals.

That judge could tear

four black people down

right now, just like that,

if she want to.

That white motherfucker

got some power.

Female reporter 1:

Security was very tight here

this morning

at Hampton Circuit Court.

Several deputies

and police were on guard.

Simmons:

We're seeing all the police

they had in the courtroom,

and I knew right then

what was about to happen.

Female reporter 2:

Only Iverson had anything

to say before sentencing.

I did feel bad for what

happened to the people

that night at the bowling alley

so I wouldn't want that

to happen to nobody

in any situation.

Judge Nelson Overton sentenced

Iverson to 15 years behind bars

but suspended all but five.

His co-defendant

Michael Simmons

received 17.5 years,

and he suspended

all but five of that as well.

Fifteen years,

ten years suspended

for an incident like that,

you know,

when people do a lot worse.

The air just totally went

out of the courtroom,

and then just everyone began

to look around.

Some people was crying,

but it was just

real weird and awkward.

It just didn't seem like

a real-life story right then.

It didn't seem real at all.

I never thought I'd see the day

where adults would do something

so drastically wrong to kids.

It's pretty sad.

[ ♪♪ ]

Woman 1: Do you think

they treated you differently

because you're a star?

How do you feel?

Woman 2:

You'll be all right.

You'll be all right.

You'll be all right.

Back up, back up.

Woman 2:

That don't make no sense.

It was a nightmare, you know.

It was really a nightmare.

Woman 2: What did he get?

[ overlapping voices ]

Female reporter:

Ann Iverson said she'd like

to see her son

finish high school.

I don't want him

to be in jail that long.

I want him to get out,

and I want him to go to school.

I think they can be

rehabilitated in jail also.

I mean, there are

programs available.

There's a GED program there.

Iverson could finish

his education.

They have

recreational facilities.

I don't think

he'd be any worse off.

I just couldn't believe

that people were this mean.

The judge decided that

he would not grant a bond

pending the appeal,

at this point,

because he wanted them,

very frankly,

to go ahead and to start

accumulating credit

for the time that they

would go ahead and serve.

In all the years

that I've been doing this,

the only defendants

that are not given a bond

are capital murderers.

Uh, capital murderers.

That's people that are going

to the electric chair.

That was true injustice,

and that's why it hurt so much,

because it was truly unjust.

I think the guy

got what he deserved,

and I hope he does

every bit of time

that he's given.

Moore: He was unjustly

tried and convicted

and sentenced to time

in a prison facility

for grown men.

Iverson: I remember

telling my grandma, like,

"Nana, if I didn't do

what these people said I did,

why is God letting this

happen to me?"

And she told me,

and I never did it since then,

"Never question God."

[ ♪♪ ]

Iverson:

I had my life, my family,

and the game

that I loved so much

taken away from me.

I think I just learned

so much from it.

It taught me a lot

at an early age.

Ted Hudson: Mr. Iverson

would be awakened at 4:00.

He would shower and shave

or whatever he needed to do

to prepare for that day.

This is a working camp.

You are here to work.

We cut all the grass

for 27 miles.

Anything green

and not moving, we cut it.

Oh, it used to kill me, man.

[ bird squawks ]

You know,

I had to be up at 6:00;

here he come waking me up

at 4:00 in the morning.

Hudson: I would come in, and

he knew it would irritate me,

he would sing

a cop killer song.

I put my life

on the line for anybody here,

and to belittle the killing

of a police officer,

it made me think, "Just

another punk from the streets."

He made it

extremely hard for me.

Moore:

People would pass notes to him,

saying that

"I wish you were dead."

"I hope your black ass

rot in prison."

The jailers would bring him

a doll with a noose,

and written on that doll

was "Allen Iverson."

Iverson: I had lawyers.

Every single day that

I was talking to them,

they were telling me that

"You're getting out tomorrow."

And then tomorrow would come,

and they'd say,

"You're getting out tomorrow."

I remember

just being frustrated,

and one of my friends

came up, and he said

some of the best advice

that someone could ever give me:

"You're not getting out of here,

so stop thinking about it.

"And do what you gotta do,

handle what you gotta handle,

and get back

to what you love to do."

It made it so much easier

for me to do the time

because I had in my mind

that I wasn't going nowhere.

Female reporter:

Hampton residents have formed

what they call

the Swift Legal Defense Fund.

There was a very vocal

support for those kids.

It didn't do any good,

but there were marches.

Mr. Iverson received

a sackload of mail by himself.

People, ladies, were sending

him their unmentionables,

and they were sending him money.

They were sending him gifts.

Interviews were requested.

I know Mr. Tom Brokaw

was allowed to interview him.

Tonight, we have the story

of what has happened

to a young man who was headed

for a million-dollar future,

but now he's in jail.

It was one of

those classic cases.

Here's a kid with the gift

of the gods, as an athlete,

and a community where

they'd still not worked out

all the racial issues,

obviously.

I've prepared myself

for the worst.

If I have to do

this whole time here,

I just have to deal with it.

Brokaw: I thought the sentence

was surprisingly harsh,

and I think that our story

had something to do with people

looking at the case

in a slightly different way

because it got

national attention.

Iverson: I got

a lot of love for NBC.

Tom Brokaw, I mean,

he did a lot for me,

and I appreciate him.

I owe a lot to him for that.

Allen Iverson

is tasting freedom tonight

for the first time in months.

Male reporter: The high school

standout has been handed

conditional clemency

by Governor Doug Wilder.

Our Governor

pardoned Allen, you know.

His rule was

he couldn't play sports.

Who cared?

He could go to school.

I think it was a relief

for the officers

because the news media

would be gone.

The calls would be gone.

All the mail that we received

would be gone, and hopefully

no more women's underwear.

[ overlapping voices ]

Man: Hey, Allen,

how do you feel?

How do you feel,

Allen?

No comment.

Are you glad

it's over?

Governor Wilder gave me

another shot at life.

You know, if it wasn't for his

signature, I might not be here.

Female reporter:

As for the other three

young men, Governor Wilder

is considering clemency

for them as well. Ed?

[ clamoring ]

We was out, and there was

hugs and dapping each other up,

and, "Let's go to the mall.

I need some new clothes."

[ ♪♪ ]

Iverson:

After I was incarcerated,

I never even thought

about dwelling on that night,

ever again, honestly,

because...

the damage to me

was already done.

Moore: I've got

so many bags of letters,

from football and basketball

coaches all over the country,

but when this happened to him

they stopped calling.

Iverson: All I thought about

was getting a second chance.

That was it.

Moore: It was almost like

no one expected him

to ever amount to anything.

I knew that

there would be somebody.

There would be some school

that would come to him,

and all I needed was one.

[ ♪♪ ]

I never recruited Allen at all.

They recruited me.

I was a little reluctant

in the beginning.

And his mother asked

the people to leave the room.

And she and I talked,

and she was concerned

for his life, and she said

that I certainly, being a parent

myself, could connect with that.

Being an African-American,

I could connect with that.

This is my son.

They call him--

What do they

call you?

Chuck.

The other thing.

Honey Man.

Honey Man.

John: She, more than anybody,

convinced me

that if there was

any possibility of getting him

in school, that I ought

to take a shot at it.

Iverson:

Coach Thompson saved my life.

I had just came home from jail.

I had to come home

and get my school thing together

and graduate and whatever,

then I went straight there.

I was worried.

Certainly, you worry, you know.

You have a responsibility

to protect the university,

protect your program,

and you were taking a chance.

I respected the path

he's had to take in life,

which has been

a very tough path.

Moore: The Georgetown years,

I really just took a step back

because I knew John Thompson

would come in and take over.

Where I left off,

he would come in and take over.

Iverson: My idol, my hero,

my father figure away from home.

He kept people away from me,

and he let me be

a college student.

I didn't necessarily agree

with everything about him,

and I'm certain

he didn't about me,

but I like to think that

we both respected one another.

Iverson: He never was the type

of guy to jump on me,

especially in front

of people, never did that,

but when I messed up in school,

and he put himself on the line

for me to come there and be

successful, when we got alone,

he got in my ass.

"This what you want

out of your life, huh?

"Wanna go back down there

to that 'hood?

You want your mom

"to struggle her whole life,

don't you? You want your sisters

"to stay in that sewer,

that hell hole.

"That's what you want

out of your life, huh?"

[ gunshot ]

And automatically, man,

I would just--

I would shape up.

[ hip hop music playing ]

John: Once I saw

how he acted in school,

how he acted

with his teammates,

I was very, very glad

that I had rolled the dice.

Iverson: He was like that

force field I had around me

when everybody was coming at me

with all the negative things.

John: People did things.

Folks said things

that you wouldn't want to hear

about his being incarcerated.

Those weren't things

that bothered him outwardly.

I'm certain he heard 'em,

but I knew that this

was a tough kid, mentally,

and that's the same thing

that happened

when he played.

What's my name?

Michael Jordan.

It is scout night, as they take

a look at two of the very best

in the country,

in Ray Allen and Allen Iverson.

John: You don't look at somebody

that's flyweight like Allen,

and associate that

with strength,

but he's proven that theory

totally wrong.

Brad Kessler:

There's that One-Two,

One-One pressure.

Iverson.

Dick Vitale: Allen Iverson,

right out of the gate!

Kessler:

Here we go. Length of the

court, drive the other way!

Vitale: When he gets to

the basket, he's so explosive.

Give a little daylight!

Kessler: Now Iverson around

the trap, inside now!

Vitale:

Oh, what a big-time move!

Super, scintillating,

sensational!

- Thirteen--

- Vitale:

Oh, nobody's stopping--

- Iverson!

- Vitale: Oh, up, up and away!

Jam city! Nobody stopped

the ball, Brad Kessler!

Nobody stopped the ball!

Kessler: Again,

another steal by Iverson.

Vitale:

And he throws it away.

Allen Iverson

with a one-hander.

Kessler:

Now it's Iverson alone.

Vitale:

We got a good shot right here.

We got a good shot right here!

[ cheering ]

Vitale: Congratulations, Alec.

Congratulations John Thompson.

Great performance tonight.

Iverson: Coach Thompson

meant everything to me.

He's a big-time reason for

all the success that I've had.

After carefully weighing

my options with Coach Thompson,

my family, I've decided

to enter the NBA.

I felt like there was

no reason for me

not to be able to take care

of the people that I love.

My immediate family

requires me

to leave Georgetown.

No, when he left, I didn't think

it was a wise decision,

but I supported him with it.

I never,

under any circumstances,

worried about his ability

to play basketball.

I worried about

the other 22 hours in the day.

I was in the NBA.

I know the kinds of things

you're exposed to.

I worried for him, in terms

of whether he was mature

enough or old enough

to deal with it

and to handle it.

Please welcome

The Answer, Allen Iverson!

[ crowd cheering ]

[ hip hop music playing ]

You got criticized

for leaving school early.

I had to leave. My sister

was suffering from seizures,

and she needed a personal

specialist,

so I thought about a lot of

that before I made my decision,

and my coach stuck with me.

I mean, he said,

"Go take care of your family,"

and that's how I look at

the thing with this, man.

You know, I was bugged, too.

I always think they pick on

the basketball players

when they leave school

'cause they're black,

'cause Tiger Woods

ain't going to school,

nobody gives a fuck about that.

[ laughter ]

Todd Krinsky: When we had

the chance to sign Allen in '96,

we thought this could be big.

This could be really

something different.

I'll never forget the famous

boardroom meeting we had,

where the head of the company

said, "Well, isn't there going

to be another Allen Iverson

another five years from now?"

And I remember a couple of us

looking at him and saying no.

He walked in the room, and he

had this incredible confidence,

like he knew he could play

at this level, and he knew

he was going to be something

special in the league,

and you could just feel it

without him saying anything.

This is an exciting, exciting

time for me in my life...

My birthday.

[ laughter ]

The draft is a couple

of weeks away.

I've just joined

the Reebok family.

[ cheering ]

But most important, I just feel

that this is my planet.

[ cheering ]

In sports,

it's D-Day for the NBA.

The league is holding

its annual draft tonight,

with Philadelphia owning

the #1 pick.

Pat Croce:

Everyone in Philadelphia

wanted me to pick Iverson

with that #1 pick. Truthfully,

I wanted A.I. because

he was a scorer.

He was just a warrior.

I love warriors.

With the first pick

in the 1996 NBA draft,

the Philadelphia 76ers

select Allen Iverson

from Georgetown University.

♪ Dreams come true ♪

Iverson: To be the first pick,

it meant something to me

because all of them

used to laugh.

Like, whatever, man.

Ain't nobody make it

from Newport News to the NBA.

Draft day, we had

this party at the Spectrum,

and it was packed, mobbed,

And when we made

the announcement,

"The 76ers with their #1 pick,

pick Allen Iverson,"

the place went berserk.

It was like someone

stepped on a detonator,

and all the explosion

of energy and pride

came back into the city

and into that franchise,

just with that one pick.

♪ I can't stop ♪

♪ Who's gonna stop me? ♪

♪ Who's gonna stop me now? ♪

♪ Who's gonna stop me? ♪

Iverson: Making it to the NBA

was a dream come true.

Being from where I come from,

every day is a good day for me.

Allen!

Allen!

We've gone through so much.

Time to get down.

Moore: All of the years,

and all of the things

that he had to overcome,

when I hear:

"And finally, a 6-foot guard

from Georgetown, Allen Iverson,"

it bring tears to my eyes, man,

because that is the

culmination of everything.

I remember saying to him,

"Allen, this is up to you and I.

We've got to resurrect

this franchise."

Craig Sager:

Is there anybody that

can stop you one-on-one?

I don't know. I hope not.

I don't think so.

Iverson. This is going

to be something!

He scores for two!

I do not believe it!

Behind the back, got

the layup, and he's fouled!

Oh, my! Take that!

Croce: Allen Iverson brought

a lunch box mentality:

dive on the floor,

sweat, cry, bleed.

Philadelphia loves that.

I had a bet with

my cousin how many times

you were gonna hit

the floor tonight.

- That was only one.

- That was the first time.

- That's it.

- I got three.

God damn.

[ announcers screaming ]

Oh, my goodness!

And you are helpless

when A.I. has it going on!

I don't believe

what I just saw!

You're The Answer.

You're The Ankle Breaker.

Iverson crosses over,

gets two!

One time you guys

played the Knicks,

and Charlie Ward was

stapling his sneakers on.

Chik-chik-chik.

Iverson: I proved what

I could do, so I won my respect,

just like everybody else

in the league.

Rock:

The baddest move you ever made

was the one against Jordan.

It was incredible.

The best crossover

was against Michael Jordan.

Did you see when

he crossed Michael Jordan up?

He was a rookie that year.

Iverson: My crossover

is my patented move,

a move that's hard

for people to stop.

My first step is kinda quick,

and people respect it,

so when I take the hard jab

in one direction,

either you gotta let me

get by you, or you gotta try

to beat me to the spot.

That's when I take it

the other way.

When I grabbed the ball,

I heard Phil Jackson yell,

"Michael!"

Jackson: Michael,

get up on him.

Iverson:

Once he came out there,

I was gonna

put my move to the test.

I gave him my little cross

to see, would he bite on it?

I let him set his feet,

and then I stepped it

back again.

Oh, my God.

I lost my shorts

when he did that.

I jumped in the air.

I'm high-five--

The whole place went wild.

We said to ourselves,

"He's here. He's arrived."

Iverson: The best player I'd

ever seen was Michael Jordan.

The best player right now,

in my eyes, is myself.

[ laughter ]

♪ I go to work ♪

Male reporter:

Allen Iverson is the 1997

NBA Rookie of the Year.

He's the first Philly player

to win the award.

Iverson: To be able

to come in this league

and do some things that

not too many people have done,

it was a great feeling.

Introducing the head coach

to the Philadelphia 76ers,

Larry Brown. Yeah!

Croce: For the team to win,

we needed this all-star coach

and this all-star player,

both of them highly talented,

highly sensitive,

highly headstrong individuals

that come from

two different worlds.

Doo-wop vs. hip-hop.

[ hip hop beats playing ]

Man: Here we go.

Here we go.

Larry Brown: I'm a white,

Jewish coach from Brooklyn.

There's no similarities,

but I think

I'm every bit

as competitive as Allen.

Iverson: Being with Coach Brown

and being so young.

You know, a lot of

the rifts that we got into,

99% of them

were my fault, honestly.

The first time I met him,

I saw him acting silly,

as a player during a game,

and I said, "You don't need

to be like that."

And he kinda looked at me.

Croce: Allen craved discipline

because he was brought up

in a chaotic atmosphere.

He would stir up chaos

on the court

and off the court.

Being rebellious

is just trying to fight.

If you go one way,

I'm gonna go the other way.

Brown: I just thought

he was a young kid

that had a special gift

and really didn't know

how to use it.

Iverson: Both of us

wanted the same thing

as far as winning,

but he wanted me to do things

different than I wanted

to do 'em.

Brown: Every time I ever

took him out of the game,

he would walk

by the bench

and mumble something

under his breath,

that if I was in the park

I'd have to fight him.

I didn't even put nothing

over my mouth.

That's the young immaturity.

I knew he didn't mean

anything by it.

That was just

his competitive nature.

Iverson: We clashed at times,

but the love was always there

because I knew

he cared about me.

Brown: For Allen to trust

is not as easy as it would be

for anybody else.

That's always

been an issue with him

because of who he is

and where he's from

and what

he had to go through.

Croce: To get into his circle,

you have to earn that right.

It probably took me five years

to earn that right,

but he has to realize

that you're telling the truth.

With Allen, there were

issues all the time.

Croce: When he missed practice,

I was the one that suspended him

in Miami and in Boston.

Now Larry Brown doesn't like

to be the bad guy.

And I walked in. He goes,

"Take care of your kid.

He missed practice."

I'm thinking, "Oh, no."

He might break your heart,

in terms of coming to practice

every day on time, but when

you know every single night,

whether he's hurt or not,

he's going to lay it on the line

for you, that's the thing

that's most special for me.

Things that happen,

being involved with him,

nobody trains you

for that.

It's a growing process.

All of us,

we're getting better.

We've been poor

for 20 years-plus,

and I mean, I finally

came into some money now.

You know, I want to live

a little bit now.

Oh, you're living, baby.

You're living.

[ laughs ]

[ ♪♪ ]

The whole world

wondering how much

Bubba took to the bank.

The world gonna keep on

wanting to know

'cause I ain't telling 'em shit.

If you oughta know,

it ain't no joke.

My pockets ain't playing.

You believe what I say

and what I tell you.

Iverson:

Thompson: I knew

that he had been deprived

of a lot of things

in his life.

I just hoped that he would

mature and get to the point

that he wouldn't be hurt

by that.

We don't train these kids

to handle

the responsibilities

they have.

You put anybody

in their position,

they're not all going

to handle it the right way,

right off the bat.

Female reporter:

A promising young pro

basketball player

is facing legal problems

this morning.

Police say

Philadelphia's Allen Iverson,

the NBA Rookie of the Year

last season,

has been charged with marijuana

and firearms possession.

Iverson: There is a lot

of negative things in my life

that I tried to get rid of,

but they always stick around,

like, it's like

you can hide from the devil,

but he gonna always

find you.

He was in a car

that had pot and a gun,

and the driver was speeding.

He wasn't speeding.

He was in shotgun.

But he got arrested,

and they put him on probation.

Todd: Allen is loyal.

If you're down with him,

he'll do anything for you, and

sometimes I think the loyalty

had him keep people around

that maybe he shouldn't have.

Now you just said

they judge you

because of who

you hang around with.

Is your posse just ill?

They've been through a lot

of things in their life.

I can curse, can't I?

- Yeah.

They fucked up just

like everybody else, you know?

[ audience cheering ]

They've made mistakes,

you know what I'm saying?

[ ♪♪ ]

Brown: He didn't come out

of Georgetown, appealing

to the hip-hop culture.

This is just what evolved.

Croce: He wasn't all

tattooed up like he is now.

He didn't have

the corn rows then.

Todd: The tattoos,

the corn rows, were things

that basketball players

wanted to do

but didn't think they could.

Iverson: To me,

how you look is how you play.

I used to make myself up

to look not only

just like a basketball player

but look like a superhero--

a skinny one, but a superhero.

You know, nobody would do this.

Nobody would do that.

That's how I used to

come up with it.

Moore: We were extremely close,

but there was an extreme

difference in ages.

And those were

some of the things

that I had to become

accustomed to.

Male interviewer:

You have 21 tattoos.

Tell us why.

What do they represent to you?

Iverson: Everything

that means something--

Strength, loyalty,

prayer hands, my kids.

It's my life.

Todd: Back then when he

was doing it, it was like,

Oh, my God. What's an NBA player

going to look like with tattoos

on the court?

'Cause it just

didn't really exist,

but it's okay to do it now

because he did it.

♪ Y'all gonna make me

lose my mind ♪

♪ Up in here, up in here ♪

Brokaw: I think Allen's tats

are a statement.

He's a rebel with a cause,

and the cause is Allen.

Moore: I used to tell him that

you're going to influence

the minds of others,

like Martin Luther King did,

and Malcolm X,

and I lived it, and I saw it.

Iverson! Right here!

Right here, right here!

Hey, I love you, baby.

You are so fine!

Scoop Jackson:

Allen Iverson is one

of the true representatives

of what hip-hop stands for and

what it's about in this country.

Be unapologetic. Be who you are.

Iverson: I just express myself,

and you know, hopefully,

the generation that comes after

me can be able to do the same.

[ humming ]

♪ Can't you see ♪

♪ Sometimes your words

just hypnotize me ♪

♪ And I just love yo-- ♪

Daddy, what time is it?

♪ Biggie, Biggie, Biggie,

can't you see? ♪

Carmelo Anthony:

He came in his style, his way.

You ain't really gonna

find nobody like that,

besides myself.

Dwyane Wade:

He made hip-hop and basketball

really come together.

He was the bridge.

Scoop: We take where we're from,

and now we have outlets.

The television

becomes an outlet.

Magazine covers

become the outlets,

and now it's out to the world.

[ ♪♪ ]

Iverson:

Over here just seemed different.

It seemed like

everything was so positive.

I thought it was just

the basketball part of it,

but I'm finding out

people love who I am

off the basketball court.

[ cheering ]

I didn't know I had

this many fans here.

I can't explain it.

[ cheering ]

Allen Iverson!

My lovely friends, Yao Ming.

[ cheering ]

The people embraced me,

the way I handle myself,

my style, and my look.

Man, that was great.

I just wish my wife and kids

could've been there to see it,

but I'm pretty sure we'll have

some video footage for 'em,

and I'm pretty sure

you're gonna hook us up.

Brown: I've never coached an

athlete that I think more people

wanted to know about,

loved than Allen.

Little kids all over the place,

would always come up to me

and say, "You're

Allen Iverson's coach,"

you know.

"I want to be like Allen."

Okay. I got all the sneakers

and everything.

He's my favorite player, and

he's the best player ever to me.

Allen was a role model.

Good or bad,

he was a role model.

Todd: He was a person

that was so real,

the tats, the corn rows.

Like, this whole thing was

just like, "This is who I am,"

and people loved him for that.

But it's a gift

and a curse.

Moore: The way Allen carried

himself, the way he dressed,

some people liked it,

some didn't.

It's important that the players

take their end of it,

get out of the prison garb

and kill the thuggery aspect

of basketball that has come

along with the hip-hop music.

Iverson: When everybody

started looking like I looked,

the corn rows and tattoos

and baggy clothes,

that was just a great, great

feeling, but it was bittersweet

because I had to take

the whooping for it.

Robin Givhan writes

in the "Washington Post" today.

She said, "That's the body

language of a thug,

"and he's got the reputation

for what might diplomatically

be called ungentlemanly

behavior," and she's talking

about the corn rows

and everything else.

It suggests that your

success, wealth, all that,

is tied into this

gangster prison attitude,

and I just think it's

a negative, poisonous message.

If he wants to express himself

with tattoos or with hairdos

that are different

from you would like to wear,

or wear jewelry that maybe

you wouldn't wear,

or wear outfits

that you wouldn't wear,

that doesn't make him bad.

It just makes him different.

'Cause he's from

the 'hood.

Yeah.

He keep it gangsta, he do.

He keep it gangsta.

He's aware. He's truly aware.

You've got to love him.

He's awesome.

He's awesome.

He's cute!

'Cause he's cute!

Moore: I clearly thought

that they looked at him

and decided that's not

where they wanted to be.

Something had to be done

if you're looking nine,

ten years down the road.

When commissioner David Stern

instilled that dress code,

I'm thinking, "Uh-oh.

This isn't going to fly

with Bubba."

Female reporter:

Under this new policy

off court, in public,

the pros are expected

to wear businesslike attire.

No more chains,

pendants, medallions,

headbands or headgear

of any kind.

Iverson: I think

they're just targeting guys

that look hip-hop,

guys that dress like me.

Brown: Maybe it's unfair,

but I don't think

he truly understood the effect

and the impact he had

on so many young kids.

If he knew that, I think

he would've done things

differently in a lot of ways.

Todd: He got into a period

where he was larger than life,

and he was kind of hard

to control, you know.

He wasn't showing up for things.

He was really late for things.

He wasn't really respecting

the relationship.

Man: And action!

Todd: We were in Coney Island

one time, shooting this spot.

We had two scenes left.

It was kind of chilly out.

It was around 6:00,

and then he's like, "Yo."

And I'm like, "What's up?"

And he's like, "Yo, I'm out."

I'm, like, "What the fuck

you mean you're out?

Like, we've got an hour and

a half left, and we're gonna

finish this great

commercial that's gonna

be a great look for you.

This product looks great.

What are we talking about?"

And he's like, "I'm out,"

and then he literally calls

to one of his boys,

and he leaves.

And this is not a,

"Like, okay, everyone.

Come back tomorrow morning."

This is permanent.

This is a crew.

This is money.

This is a big problem, right?

He's got a great soul,

and he's a great person,

but he was just

in the space where, like,

he didn't give a shit

about any obligations.

Magic had a bad TV show.

Shaq did a genie movie.

How are you going

to embarrass yourself?

[ laughter and applause ]

You have to be tolerant up to

a point, then you begin to ask:

When is it doing

more harm than good?

When is it more than just

a personal statement?

♪ Man enough to pull a gun,

be man enough to cheese it... ♪

Iverson: Somebody could do

a rap album like the rap album

that I made, and you wouldn't

hear nothing about it.

♪ I'm a bastard case,

What's up? ♪

♪ Your fucking hands

put my gas in your face ♪

But Allen Iverson can't do it.

I was disappointed

in the lyrics

because of his power

to promote a positive message.

I was disgusted with the lyrics

because they didn't

look positive to me,

and we had a conversation,

and he didn't understand

exactly what I was saying

until the backlash from

everywhere else came upon him.

This offends me as a black

woman, still calling us hoes,

bitches and sluts.

It's calling us niggers.

The album is weak.

The lyrics are just whack.

He needs to stay in basketball.

Rap is not his thing.

I'm not interested

in legislation.

I'm not interested

in regulation.

I'm not interested

in starting a boycott.

I just want them to stop.

John Thompson better call

better speak to Allen.

I think he needs

to speak to the brother.

Iverson: I was early 20s.

I never looked

at how much of impact

that I have on people.

Kids that love everything

about Allen Iverson

were going to listen to it,

but back then, you know,

I didn't look at it that way.

If you're a hardcore

hip-hop fan,

then this album is for you.

If you don't care

about hardcore gangsta rap,

just don't buy it.

♪ Yo, yo, yo... ♪

2001 was a very special season,

because before,

in the summertime, he was going

to get traded, and I called him.

I said, "Bubba, I got a call

from Larry Brown and Billy King.

They're gonna trade you.

I want to tell you

you're gonna get traded."

He's,

"Pat, no, man. No, listen."

I said, "Well, listen.

I can't defend you anymore.

I can't--

If you're not gonna live

the talk, I can't defend you.

If you're not gonna be

on practice on time

and strength train and lead the

team, and not curse the coach--

If you're not gonna

do all this..."

"Pat, I promise. I promise.

I want, so much so,

I want to be captain.

I want to be captain

with Eric Snow."

I said, "Listen, if you do

half of what you just said,

we'll be champions."

I called Larry Brown and said,

"You're not gonna believe it.

I want to tell you exactly

what he just said."

Now, the trade didn't go down

for other reasons,

but thank goodness

the trade didn't go down.

Iverson: I always looked

at basketball as just a game.

I never looked at it

as business,

and I found out the hard way,

but, you know, at least

I did recognize it

before it was too late.

It started off

with a 10-0 beginning.

I think we won

our first 10 games.

We were going great.

Everyone and their mother was

wearing Allen Iverson jerseys.

P.A. announcer:

From the Philadelphia 76ers,

Allen Iverson!

Scoop: The all-star game is when

I lost all my professionalism

'cause I lost my mind.

[ indistinct ]

Intercepted by Iverson.

Three on two.

Iverson, to the reverse!

A little pass to himself.

[ laughing ]

We've seen two spectacular

plays by Allen Iverson,

already playing off the ball.

Iverson! Allen Iverson

beginning to heat up.

Scoop: They were down like,

by I think 22

going into the 4th quarter.

He willed that victory.

It's only a 7-point game

with four and a half to go.

Iverson, does he get

the continuation?

Yes, he does!

He never gave up hustling,

stealing and making people work.

Iverson for three!

And I'm up there, yelling,

"That's what I'm talking about!"

Down to three...

Marbury. Trying

to get to Bryant.

Duncan came up short,

and it's over!

The East comes from 21 down!

This is why you love

this cat, 'cause he can

do stuff like this.

Marv, that's one of the best

all-star games I've ever seen,

just the big plays,

getting back in the game.

Every time I come

in this gym, in this arena,

I hear my favorite song,

you know, y'all voices.

Brown: I can't imagine a player

having a better year than Allen.

It just seemed like everything

was just going the right way.

Female reporter:

The NBA had to wait

for the final night

of the regular season

to crown a scoring champion.

Philadelphia's Allen Iverson

scored the season's average

of 26.8, a half point more

than Shaquille O'Neal.

Everybody says to me, "Well,

Allen took a lot of shots,

and he was selfish."

I wanted him to shoot

40 times a game.

That's the only way

we could win.

Croce:

It is my pride and pleasure

to introduce to you

the NBA's Most Valuable Player,

our answer and now

the world's, Allen Iverson.

[ applause ]

I wanted the relationship

that Michael Jackson--

Michael Jordan, I'm sorry.

[ laughter ]

So I'll let you all know I've

been talking for 10 minutes,

and I'm still a bit nervous.

I wanted the same

relationship with him, like,

with Phil Jackson

and Michael Jordan had.

Croce: Allen Iverson proves to

people that dreams do come true.

Here's a guy who was in prison,

who ends up the MVP of the NBA,

the best player on the

basketball court in the world.

Tell me dreams don't come true.

Now, you know, my goal

every day is just working

to get what he got, what he's

holding right now, you know.

All I care about

is the championship trophy.

Are you going to dethrone

to the Los Angeles Lakers?

Hopefully. That's the way

I draw it up in my dreams.

Croce: It was wonderful. It was

wonderful to see and believe

and expect that

we were going to win it all.

That's marketing.

That's perfect marketing.

He's talking smack,

I'm talking smack.

They market that.

[ humming NBA theme ]

[ laughter ]

Albert: They are ready for

the start of the NBA Finals.

The Lakers coming in

with 19 straight wins,

going against a Sixer team

that was taken to the limit

by the Bucks.

Iverson: You know, everybody

already counted us out.

We're just gonna keep

playing hard,

and whatever happens happens.

Look at Shaq,

just towering!

Kobe for three!

[ cheering ]

The Lakers in the midst

of a 14-0 run.

Shaquille O'Neal

is possessed right now.

Kobe Bryant is

an all-league defender,

knocks that ball loose.

Terrific defense that time

by the Lakers.

Iverson: All the things

that I had to endure in my life,

all the obstacles

I was faced with,

whatever it is,

I fight through it.

A weak person would break.

They'd give up.

That's just not me.

Where I'm from,

only the strong survive.

♪ Get along! ♪

♪ Get along! ♪

♪ Get along! ♪

♪ Get along!

I said I feel... ♪

Two-hander by Iverson,

behind the back.

And the finish!

Iverson. Yes!

This guy has such courage.

Iverson... again!

He is fearless.

Allen Iverson!

He is so fast

out in the open court.

He just turned on the burners

and ran right past him.

Allen Iverson on fire!

Amazing!

The 76ers with the ball,

down by one.

Iverson for three.

Yes!

Iverson, bothered by Lue.

Iverson. Yes!

How about that?

He just steps over Tyronn Lue!

♪ Get along!

I said I feel... ♪

And the 76ers pulling off

a stunner in Game 1 here.

Iverson finished with 48...

I believed we were going

to have that parade.

Well, when we didn't win it all,

obviously it was disappointing.

Brown: We never would've

had a chance,

had it not been for Allen.

Nobody had a better year

than that kid that year.

A negative story about

Allen Iverson is going

to sell, regardless.

I hear those things,

and I will be lying to you

if I tell you it doesn't

bother me.

But if I know, and the people

that's close to me know,

why do I have to explain myself?

[ ♪♪ ]

Moore: Allen Iverson's life

is a book that he has always

refused to open, and by

refusing to open that book,

I think people just say,

"How dare you?"

And as crazy as it may sound,

and as untrue as it might be,

as long as it sells newspapers

and gets people to look

at my television station,

we're going to say

just about what the hell

we want to say about you.

Trouble of a different sort

tonight for one of

the National Basketball

Association's biggest stars.

Male reporter 1:

Allen Iverson in trouble

with the law again.

Male reporter 2:

He could be headed to jail.

Facing the possibility

of some years behind bars.

I got in an argument with my

wife, cussing each other out,

all kinds of stuff that

ain't none of y'all business,

but you know what it is

if you're in a relationship

with somebody.

According to police 911 tapes,

Iverson threw her

out of their suburban home

the night of July 3rd.

Man, they even said

I threw my wife out naked.

She was not dressed

at the time.

Why would I expect somebody

to look at me as a man

if I did that to my wife?

Philadelphia police say the

27-year-old basketball player

burst into

his cousin's apartment.

Pulling out guns and stuff.

Uh-uh. Can't have that.

He did have a gun.

They said it on the news.

Both: He was armed with a gun.

Iverson: They come looking

for a gun, five days later,

like the gun still gonna be

in the house if I had one.

Man: Were guns found or guns

used in this alleged crime?

No, I don't first-hand--

I don't have that information.

Male reporter:

It seems as though

Iverson didn't necessarily

brandish the gun,

but he perhaps

had a gun in his waistband.

They got helicopters

flying over my house all day.

They got media people

in front of my house,

with lawn chairs,

and cooking out with cameras.

Girl, get out of my face

with that crazy stuff!

That's only hearsay!

That's rumors.

Where'd you get that from?

'Cause somebody told it to you?

Did Tawanna tell you that?

Woman: I'm asking you.

Don't ask me nothing.

Did Tawanna tell you that?

I haven't spoken

with Tawanna.

All right then.

Don't go there with me.

Don't go there with me.

You want to keep it real,

you keep it real with me 'cause

I ain't playing no games, okay?

Well, okay.

Dog, they love you right now.

they love you right now,

but please believe me,

the first incident,

the first time

something happen,

they are waiting, man.

They're waiting, man.

They're waiting.

They're waiting, man.

We're sitting here,

I'm supposed to be

the franchise player,

and we're in here

talking about practice.

The media builds you up

to break you down.

Bottom-line, that's

the nature of the game.

If anybody tells you

any different, they're lying.

We're talking

about practice, man.

I mean, how silly is that?

I've never heard anybody

interpret that honestly.

I know it's important.

I do, I honestly do,

but we're talking about

practice, man.

What are we talking about?

Practice?

That's that sound bite

that's going to define him.

That, for Allen Iverson,

was his "I Have a Dream"

speech with Dr. King.

They used that

to portray him as a person

who didn't like practice.

That was not what he was saying.

Your entire being now,

your whole character,

is going to be this.

[ people chattering ]

Man: Hang on a second.

He's starting right now.

Iverson: I fight

to represent Philadelphia.

That's how I became a household

name, and every single year,

after every season, you know,

I've got to hear trade rumors,

stuff like that

about getting me out of there.

I just came from a meeting with

those people, and I was upset.

It was bad advice, and it was

a stupid decision that I made.

This is what happens

when you lose, you know.

You go to the finals,

and then the next year

you're out in the first round.

This is what happens, you know.

I went in and talked to Coach,

and I wasn't going anywhere.

That's what I thought

the press conference

was going to be about.

Man: Allen, could you

address what Coach

is concerned about,

your practicing habits.

We don't get a chance

to see you practicing.

Can you clear the air

about all that?

Anybody tell you

that I missed practice,

if Coach say I missed practice,

and you all hear it,

then that's that.

Every question came,

they were talking

about missing practice,

or not missing practice,

how many practices did I miss.

Man: So you and Coach Brown

then settled the issue

that he brought up

on Saturday about practicing?

And my response was,

"We're talking about practice.

Why are we talking

about practice?"

Listen. We're talking

about practice.

Not a game, not a game,

not a game.

We're talking about practice.

What, in fact,

he was saying is,

"We're spending the time in this

interview to discuss practice."

He was not saying that

practice is unimportant.

There's no way I could be

an all-star, I could be an MVP,

you know, if I didn't practice.

You see me play,

don't you?

Man: Absolutely.

- You see me give

everything I got, right?

- Absolutely.

But we're talking about

practice right now.

But it's an issue

that your coach felt

the need to raise!

I was already gone,

but I happened to be watching

the news, and I see him

saying, "Practice! Practice!"

And you kept saying,

like it's only practice.

I ain't saying that.

I'm not saying that.

I'm saying that's why we're

in here having this talk,

because of practice.

They knew what he meant.

You're getting all over me

for practice,

and how about the game?

But I would've grabbed him

and took

the hook right off there,

and made sure he got

right off that dais.

Woman: Okay, guys...

You know, I ain't going nowhere.

I'm not going nowhere.

Yes, it was great for the press,

but no, it wasn't good for him.

Nobody looks at the whole

comment that Allen made

and what he was talking about

when he made that comment.

I'm upset. I'm upset

for one reason, man.

'Cause I'm in here.

I lost.

I lost my best friend.

He was talking

about his boy dying.

Moore: Rah was a very close

friend of Al's,

who died a very vicious

and violent death.

Of all of the people

that died in Allen's life,

I think it hit him

hardest with Rah.

I lost him,

and I lost this year.

Everything's going downhill

for me, as far as just that,

as far as my life,

and then I'm dealing with this

right here.

I don't want

to deal with this, man.

I don't want to go

through this shit.

"My boy just died

the other day,

and you all are talking

to me about practice."

That's the whole comment.

Go back and listen

to the press conference.

That's what he's talking about.

Try to deal with what

I go through in my life.

My best friend, dead.

Dead, and we lost.

That's the entire--

But did anybody? No.

No, not at all,

and that's the crest

of how the media looks at

and treats Allen Iverson.

Thompson: Because of his candor,

because of the aggressive way

in which he will

really express himself,

people can conveniently turn.

That's what I worried about.

You're all talking about

what's going to make me

a better basketball player?

When you understand that,

that people are human just like

you, then that would make you

a better person.

I'm trying to get better.

You need to also.

It's something that

my teammates joke with me now,

and other guys on other teams,

soon as you're missing practice,

the first thing

a guy would say is,

"We're talking

about practice?"

"We're talking about practice,"

to quote the great

Allen Iverson. "Practice."

If somebody else, you know,

one of the quote, unquote,

"good guys" would've said

something like that,

it wouldn't have been

a big thing, but it's me.

We're talking about practice.

They will not play

that full track.

They'll play the sound bite.

Allen Iverson could've been

the most popular athlete

the NBA has ever had.

And I think sometimes

his pride got

in the way of that.

If you don't want to go through

what I go through right now,

as far as being the bad guy

in the NBA and all that,

be fake then-- basically,

that's all I'm telling you.

Just be fake.

- But you're not fake!

And I'm not going to do it.

I'd rather not be in the NBA.

Moore: Before you can have true

honor, there must be humility.

Allen played the game with

a tremendous amount of honor

and loyalty, but you haven't

seen all of the humility.

Male reporter: Allen Iverson

has worn out his welcome

in the city of brotherly love.

The Sixers decided

they're better off without

the #2 scorer in the league.

I want to be a Sixer.

I've said that since day one,

but, you know,

if I'm not wanted,

then I definitely

don't want to be a Sixer.

And I'm willing

to start my career all over.

I just wanted to go somewhere,

where I could feel appreciated

for what I do out there

on the basketball court.

Man: Happy to be to Denver?

Definitely happy.

It took a while, but I'm happy.

- Happy to be here, huh?

- Definitely.

He is a passionate kid

that wants to win,

understands team,

has good leadership skills.

One, two, three.

All: Nuggets!

Get down, baby.

Iverson:

I'm just looking forward

to be able to just concentrate

solely on trying

to win a championship,

and I want to win right now.

[ cheering ]

P.A. announcer: Number three,

The Answer, Allen Iverson!

Moore: I clearly felt Denver

would be the place

that it would all conclude.

Allen would win a world

championship, one day retire,

raise his family

and live happily ever after,

but that wasn't the case.

Denver had decided

that they would not offer

Allen an extension.

Does that make the team bad?

No, that's business,

but had we known more

about the business part

of the game, I think that

this story would have turned out

a whole lot differently.

Allen Iverson, one of the

game's best scorers in history,

is headed to Detroit.

Moore: He goes to Detroit.

He was told that

he would never be asked

to come off the bench

because of who he was.

They didn't go there

suggesting that.

He was told that.

Male reporter 1:

Allen Iverson not playing

for the third straight game

because of a back issue.

When, if he comes back,

he's coming off the bench.

How well can he handle

that role?

I don't know

any franchise players

that come off

their own bench.

I don't know of any Olympian

that come off the bench.

I don't know any all-star

that come off the bench.

I don't know any former MVP

that come off the bench.

I don't know any 3-time scoring

champion come off the bench.

I mean, I don't know

any first team All-NBA

that come off the bench.

Why Allen Iverson?

Male reporter 2:

It was a hero's welcome

for Allen Iverson in Memphis.

Iverson: I just felt

that this would be

the best situation for me

in my career.

Just three games

into the season,

unhappy coming off the bench

for the lowly Grizzlies.

Iverson asks for and is

granted a leave of absence.

Waived by the Grizzlies,

the league's 6th all-time

leading scorer in points per

game is left looking for work.

[ babbling ]

Man: Everybody this way.

Turn around,

little man.

That's great right there.

I love that.

Iverson: Basketball

has done so much for me.

It helped me provide

for my family,

made me a household name,

but I got frustrated

with the process

of being a free agent.

Every time God opened my eyes,

I was waking up and asking,

like, what's going on?

Like, you know,

"We get any calls?"

"No, no calls today," you know,

and it was wearing at me,

like, it was

actually killing me

'cause I'm waking up

every morning, you know,

thinking about that,

like, every single morning.

There was virtually zero market

for Iverson this off-season.

The corn rows, the do-rags,

the tattoos.

When you're becoming

a cultural icon,

you're making

a lot of people upset,

and a lot of people can't wait

for you to fall down,

so now they can step over you.

I'm frustrated,

so if I'm frustrated,

then obviously

my wife is frustrated

because

she have to deal with me

being frustrated, you know.

My kids frustrated because,

you know,

the things that

they usually get away with,

can't get away

with them no more.

I just snap

automatically, you know.

"Daddy, why you so mad?

Why you so mad?" I'm not mad,

you know, but this is

the situation, whatever.

And I wasn't being fair

to them, 'cause I was taking

my frustrations out

on the people that love me

more than anybody.

So, that frustration led me

to the retirement thing.

Male reporter: Nationally

syndicated radio host

and "Philadelphia Inquirer"

columnist Stephen A. Smith

reporting he's been told by

Allen Iverson's representatives

that Iverson intends

to retire from the NBA.

I gotta kiss you.

I gotta kiss you.

I gotta kiss you.

I've got to.

I thought to myself, "Man,

I can do anything that I want

"to do with my kids every

single day, not leave

"for weeks at a time

and be frustrated

because I miss them

so much."

Man, look. I need

to take him to get him

a basketball, 'cause

he's driving me crazy.

How much are they?

Man: Twelve bucks.

- Twelve dollars?

- Yep.

I need some money.

[ laughter ]

I'm thinking to myself,

I can be happy as hell

If I just leave this alone

and be a full-time,

24/7 husband and father.

I'd like to kiss you.

But then, when this opportunity

came, the first one was my wife,

and she said, "You gotta

take that opportunity."

[ ♪♪ ]

Man: Allen Iverson has spent

the bulk of his career--

His identity

was Philadelphia 76ers.

They need Allen Iverson,

and Allen Iverson needs them.

Moore: He goes back to Philly,

trying to recover,

and the only tools that he had

was his passion for the game.

You know,

when I had the opportunity to...

When I had the opportunity

to come back here,

you know, it's just something

I couldn't turn down.

I'm just...

I'm just ha...

I'm just happy.

The last couple of years

have been hell because,

you know, all I want to do

is play basketball,

and, you know, help

the guys that I play with.

[ ♪♪ ]

With the mistakes that I made

in my life, you know,

I created a picture of me

that is not me.

You know, I did a lot

of things when I was young

that I'm not proud of,

but I think, you know,

those things helped me

to be the man that I am now.

P.A. announcer:

Allen Iverson!

I always dreamed about

coming back to Philadelphia.

It was a blessing

from God, you know,

being able

to come back here

and see that people wanted me

as bad as they did.

Male reporter:

Allen Iverson will not be back

with the 76ers this season.

The 4-time NBA scoring champ

and his family

are dealing with

an undisclosed illness

of his 4-year-old

daughter, Messiah.

Team President Ed Stefanski

said Tuesday that Iverson

no longer wanted to be

a distraction to his teammates.

Female reporter:

According to a report

from "Basket Magazine,"

Turkey may possibly

be Iverson's next home.

Iverson:

I never would've thought

that this situation would occur,

but it is here.

I had a great time

playing in the NBA,

and who knows if I ever will

again, but I'm looking forward

to making the best

out of this situation.

[ team singing

in foreign language ]

I promise you,

it is a happy day for me.

You know, I really thought

that this day

would be a tough day for me,

but it's a happy day.

I gave everything I had

to basketball.

Iverson: Every time I come

in this gym, in this arena,

I hear my favorite song,

you know, y'all voices.

You know, the passion

is still there.

The desire to play

is just not.

People ask me all the time,

do I have any regrets?

I don't have any, you know.

If I can go back

and do it all over again,

would I change anything?

No. I'm proud to be able

to say that I changed a lot

in this culture

and in this game,

looking the way I looked

and dressing the way I dressed.

It was a blessing just to play

one NBA basketball game.

I've done a lot in this league,

being 160 pounds coming

from Newport News, Virginia,

and my family is taken care of

for the rest of their life.

I mean,

what do you mean, regrets?

What more can you ask for?

[ cheering ]

I'm going to always

be a Sixer, till I die.

When you think of

Philadelphia basketball,

you think of Allen Iverson,

and I fought for that.

I earned that.

P.A. announcer:

Finally, the 6-foot guard

from Georgetown,

number 3, Allen Iverson!

[ cheering ]

I love you, Philadelphia...

[ cheering ]

For accepting me

and letting me be me,

letting me make my mistakes,

letting me be human,

let me learn from 'em,

just embracing me

and making this

my home forever.

[ cheering ]

I love you, Philadelphia,

the best fans in the world.

The best fans

in the world.

[ cheering ]

Moore: I saw a kid grow up

from absolutely nothing

to just about everything.

Took all the bumps

and the bruises and achieved

even with the mistakes,

and to go through it

with him, it gives you

a bit of gratification

and satisfaction

that God did not have

to allow us to have.

Iverson:

I don't care about being

misunderstood by the media,

but, hopefully, you know,

my people, hopefully,

I'm not misunderstood by them.

I just want them to say

I was a fighter, man,

that's it, and a survivor,

and willing to get knocked down

to be able to get back up.

[ Jay-Z performing

"I Made It" ]

Jay-Z:

Told you, Miss Carter.

Here we are.

♪ Momma, I made it ♪

♪ Ya'll know how I do

when the Doc do it ♪

♪ I fly thru it ♪

♪ That's how I operated

Momma, I made it ♪

♪ Ghetto like the grease when

you gettin' your hair braided ♪

♪ Sweeter than

your sister Kool Aid is ♪

♪ Hooray is the underdog ♪

♪ Now my feet under desk ♪

♪ It's

the presidential favorite ♪

♪ Can't believe I got away

with my earlier stages ♪

♪ Being on stages... ♪

You ever seen a--

What does it say?

Man: "You ever watch."

- Ah, you ever watch, okay.

You ever watch a big game

and say to yourself,

No, no.

"Can I see some ID?" Okay.

You ever watch a big game

and see--

[ groans ]

What does it say?

Ah, okay, okay.

Come on, Al.

You ever watch a big game,

and see somebody

do a nice move

and say to yourself,

I wish I could do that?

It all boils down

to one word: Practice.

Practice. Practice.

[ ♪♪ ]

♪ Dreams come true

yesterday, now ♪

♪ Yes, they do,

yes, they do... ♪

♪ Don't you ever

stop dreamin' ♪

♪ Just keep believing... ♪

Iverson:

Let me say about dreamin'.

Let me say about dreamin'.

David Stern: 2001 NBA MVP,

Allen Iverson!

Iverson:

Let me say about dreamin'.

Let me say about dreamin'.

[ ♪♪ ]

Let me say about dreamin'.

♪ Just keep believing ♪

♪ Mm-mmm ♪

Iverson:

Let me say about dreamin'.

Let me say about dreamin'.

Man: Now is... time to party.

[ crowd cheering ]