“Kevin Johnson made me cry my rookie year”: Allen Iverson admits that the first person to bust his a** in the NBA was the Suns legend

Allen Iverson claims that the first time anybody had ever busted his a** was Kevin Johnson in his rookie season, making him cry afterwards. 

Allen Iverson is usually the answer many NBA superstars give when asked about the first guy who gave them the work upon entering the league. So, it’s quite odd hearing about AI himself, getting his a** busted. Considering the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers legend wasn’t all too proficient on the defensive end of the floor, this isn’t all too shocking. 

Allen Iverson came into the league as a guy who could potentially turn a franchise around. After the Philadelphia 76ers won two championships in the early ‘80s, it was all downhill for well over a decade. Their only glimmer of hope was a young Charles Barkley who eventually found himself dissatisfied and on the Phoenix Suns.

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The Sixers did good by their franchise by selecting Allen Iverson with the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He took them to their first Finals in nearly 20 years and not only reinvigorated Sixers basketball, but was a cultural icon as well. 

Allen Iverson talks about the time Kevin Johnson made him cry after a game. 

While on the ‘Knuckleheads’ podcast, Allen Iverson admitted that the first guy to bust his a** in the NBA was Kevin Johnson. “He gave me 39, 9, and 9. It wasn’t off athletic ability or nothing, he was just so much smarter than me and he knew how to play the game.” 

“I was just a puppy. I remember, Maurice Cheeks, after the game, telling me that I would be giving someone 39, 9, and 9. I was actually crying in my locker room because I never got destroyed like that.”

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This wasn’t the first time that AI revealed that Kevin Johnson was the one to properly initiate him into the league. He did so in 2016 and to KJ’s face as well. The Suns legend returned a compliment by saying he retired due to constant battles with Allen Iverson.