The word rebel and Allen Iverson, go together like bread and butter. The moment you think of that word and its connotation in the NBA, one player’s name pops out – The Truth.
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“Truth” be told, Allen was never a rebel. He was just himself. There was nothing he did that seemed out of the ordinary. To the outsiders, yes. But to Iverson, he never changed and he never meant to change the league’s perception.
But, if you look back at the perpetrated storyline, you will find that Allen Iverson is credited with bringing in a change that made players feel like themselves.
The corn rows, the headband, the baggy clothes, and the tattoos were all considered “outlawed”. And AI was the one player who didn’t care. The 2000s was a time when the media spotlight was harsh on the NBA. But it was harsher on African-American players.
Allen Iverson recalls being compared to Al Capone and gangsters
The 90s was a time when media propaganda was running things to the ground. The African-American community was constantly disgraced and there was an image starting to develop.
Allen wished to bring that to light and make sure everyone knew that it wasn’t harmful. These days, though, things are different. You can wear whatever you want and tattoos are considered cool.
In an interview with GQ Iverson elucidates,
“Put it to you this way. When you see the gangsters growing up, whether it’s Nicky Barnes or Frank Lucas or Bumpy Johnson or Al Capone, what (have) these gangsters got on? Suits! But the crazy part about it is, they were real gangsters. But I was spoken on like I was one of them because I was wearing baggy clothes, T-shirts, baggy jeans, and Timberlands, hats with a durag, know what I mean? And I got a perception of being a gangster? All I’m doing is wearing the shit that I wear to the club after the game…. Right after they tried to switch it up and do the dress code, that’s when I started getting custom-made tops and bottoms. Not necessarily a blazer or nothing(anything) like that, but freaking it. Okay. May have a blazer on. May have a collared shirt on with some jeans and some sneakers.”
He was not happy with the gangster comparisons.
Also read: Watch: Shaquille O’Neal Tried to Imitate Michael Jackson and ‘Moonwalk’ in Skates
The NBA’s ridiculous ban and why AI was furious
The 76ers legend believed that the NBA was trying to stifle the freedom of expression. And instead trying to clean up its own image. It didn’t want to be associated with the “gangster” side of America.
Iverson, in his own way, wanted to say that he didn’t care about those rules. He decided to abide by them but through subtle cues, tell the world that he was never going to be caged.
Today, he is an NBA legend. More importantly, he is a cult hero. An icon who kickstarted a revolution; one that allowed players to be themselves. A hero.
