By Sarah Berkowitz
Former Sixers great Allen Iverson has never been one to hold back.
If he thinks something, he’ll tell you about it.
Such as that time in 2002 when he went on a legendary rant about practice!
And now Iverson (above with former Sixers coach Larry Brown) is the subject of a profile by Bleacher Report contributor Chris Palmer.
The best nugget:
Your all-time Big Three? [Palmer asked.]
“Wow,” he says dreamily. “Me, Mike and Shaq.” He looks at me. “We’d go 82-0 even with you in the backcourt.”
Michael Jordan’s 1995-96 Bulls, who went 72-10, famously set NBA records for the most wins ever, as well as best winning percentage (.878), so that squad would make for the logical comparison. Shaquille O’Neal would clearly have been a massive (in every sense) upgrade over the center quartet of Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, James Edwards and Jack Haley.
Also in the Bleacher Report story are these tidbits:
As a high schooler, Iverson was planning on going to Notre Dame — to play quarterback for Lou Holtz. To this day, many Virginians who saw him play swear that The Answer was better than fellow Tidewater product Michael Vick. However, Iverson’s prison sentence following a brawl at a bowling alley altered his destiny, and perhaps that of the sports universe.
Iverson’s favorite player is explosive Thunder guard Russell Westbrook. “He’s a certified killer,” Iverson told Palmer. “Certified! He reminds me a lot of me.”
The player he had the most difficulty guarding was Steve Nash (“I couldn’t believe how good he was.”)
On the offensive side, a 6-foot-2 journeyman guard, Marcus Banks, made his life the toughest.
Iverson intends “to become a professional fisherman.” He told Palmer, “I want to get good enough to compete with the best in the world and be on ESPN. I’m good right now, but I could be the best. That’s my dream right now. I’m really going to make it happen.”
