On Saturday night, fans, critics, and everyone in between got a glimpse into one the NBA’s most popular figures in history. Iverson, a documentary which debuted during the 2014 TriBeCa Film Festival made its national debut on Showtime, coming with great anticipation. The film, directed by Zatella Beatty, takes viewers through the trials and triumphs of perhaps Philadelphia’s most beloved athlete, Allen Iverson.
The film opens with a slew of highlights and comments from kids from his hometown of Virgina set to The Animals’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” From there, we instantly dive into the upbringing of the future MVP.
The two-sport athlete from Newport News, Virginia endured a rather tough childhood capped by a 1993 arrest that sent his community into unrest. The film extensively features the infamous bowling alley brawl that led Iverson to be sentenced to an unjust amount of time behind bars. He was accused of hitting a woman over the head with a chair among other claims.
Iverson and others comment on the incident, stating that he left the premises prior to the escalation of the incident and that the harsh outcome was an attempt to bring down one of Virginia’s biggest rising stars. Iverson and his friends would later be granted clemency from then Virginia governor Douglas Wilder.
We are then taken to Iverson’s Georgetown days where he became a breakout star. Once one of the most recruited high school players in the nation, Iverson saw a steep decline in phone calls following his arrest. Then Georgetown coach John Thompson however decided to give Iverson a second chance, a chance that Iverson described as the moment that saved his life.
Iverson’s year at Georgetown earned him the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. While his play on the court was undoubtedly unmatched, the film heavily highlighted the Iverson that caused a stir of controversy off the court. Despite being the rookie of the year and becoming the centerpiece for the resurging Philadelphia 76ers, numerous arrests and legal issues became the highlight of Iverson’s early career.
Another well-known issue was Iverson’s relationship with former Sixers coach Larry Brown. The pair got off to a rocky start with Iverson routinely throwing fits at Brown’s decision. Brown commented on the odd pairing, stating that the two came from polar opposite backgrounds but shared a common competitive nature.
That same competitiveness is what both men claim to have been the root of their differences. Former Sixers president Pat Croce made several comments in the film, including one where he admitted that the Sixers were close to shipping Iverson away before he noticed a change in attitude in the all-star.
In retrospect, Iverson humbly admitted that many of the problems were his fault and that once he began listening to Brown, his career reached higher heights. Those heights included the 2001 season which saw Iverson earn the season’s MVP award, the all-star MVP award, scoring title, and a trip to the NBA Finals.
While things were seemingly on the rise for Iverson, we would see that his career would quickly take a downward spiral. One of the starts of that spiral came with one of sports’ most infamous sound bites: “We talkin’ bout practice?”
Perhaps one of the most revealing aspects of the film was the commentary surrounding the memorable rant. While the media chose to spin the event into a typical Iverson sign of maturity, Iverson, Coach Thompson, and others pointed out the true nature of Iverson’s comments.
While Iverson’s delivery caused a media frenzy, the fact of the matter was that the interview was not meant to be about practice in the first place, but rather about the Sixers crushing playoff defeat and the Iverson’s future in Philadelphia. Instead the media chose to focus on negative aspects of the star, leading to his furious response.
The film then takes us on the further downfall, including more legal problems, controversy over his “thug” image, and his eventual trade. Iverson would have unsuccessful stints in Denver, Detroit, and Memphis before ultimately retiring. Before his exit became official, Iverson would sign a conditional one-year contract to return to the Sixers, a magical homecoming that was very short lived.
Iverson would eventually retire for good in 2013, and while he left the game with no championships, he did create one of the biggest cultural impacts the game has ever seen and leave behind a career full of memorable moments.
Overall, the film was nothing short of amazing and gave critics a different look into the 11-time all-star’s roller coaster career and life. Iverson reminded us of a prediction made by Reebok vice president Todd Krinsky: there will never be another Allen Iverson.
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