Allen Iverson is on a media tour to promote his new memoir, and The Answer is inundated with questions about everything from his relationship with his ex-wife to his newfound sobriety.
The Sixers legend has been active in recent days NBC’s “Today” showsat down with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s ‘First Take’, and was interviewed by Maurice DuBois of CBS News.
“Misunderstood,” a candid look at the NBA Hall of Famer’s life, career and struggles, was released Tuesday.
“The book is about my confessions of being human,” he said on “Today.”
Here are some takeaways from the recent interviews:
Excercise
The book appropriately begins with the word “practice,” referencing Iverson’s most famous press conference rant in which he tirelessly says the word 22 times.
Iverson explains during an interview on “Today” that he was “ecstatic” when he entered the media room on May 7, 2002, as trade rumors were swirling. but he was just assured by coach Larry Brown and general manager Billy King that he would stay in Philadelphia for at least another year. Yet the media focused only on his dedication to exercise.
“I was upset because we were supposed to celebrate and that’s what it was,” Iverson said. “And everything else is history.”
Sobriety
Iverson revealed that he has been sober for the past six months and told CBS’ DuBois that quitting drinking was “one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”
When he started thinking about his relationship with alcohol, Iverson told Smith he didn’t see how it helped at all.
“All I could think about were negative experiences,” he said.
From five
DuBois asked Iverson to list his five best NBA players of all time. The names he listed aren’t surprising, but it’s a contemporary list: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry and Shaquille O’Neal. Each Hall of Famer was active within the last 30 years, so their careers are intertwined with Iverson’s.
As a rookie in 1997, Iverson crossed paths with his hero, Jordan, and left him in his dust after one of the most memorable crossover dribbles of all times.
In 2001, Iverson became famous stepped over the Lakers’ Tyronn Lue while leading the Sixers to a Game 1 victory in the NBA Finals. While that moment is enshrined in basketball history, it is also the last time Philadelphia won an NBA Finals game, as Bryant and O’Neal marched Los Angeles to four straight victories to take home the NBA title.
When Iverson won the NBA All-Star MVP Award in 2005, it was James who was his sidekick on the East team, with the two combining for 28 points, 12 rebounds, 16 assists and seven steals in a 125-115 victory.
As for Curry, his first year in the league was Iverson’s last. They faced off twice in the 2009-2010 season in what appears to be a passing of the torch between two of the game’s most beloved small guards.
While an NBA title hinted at Iverson, this starting five has a total of 23 championship rings.
Love rekindled
Iverson has been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Tawanna Turner for decades. The couple married in 2001, separated in 2008 and divorced in 2013, which Iverson described as the lowest point in his life.
But the couple is back together. So how did he win Turner back?
“A lot of Keith Sweat,” Iverson told Smith. “I had to beg a lot.”
Iverson and Turner, both now 50 years old, met while in high school in Virginia. They have five children together.
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