Allen Iverson was among the biggest superstar athletes post the Michael Jordan era of the NBA. Although his rise and fall from stardom weren’t too far from each other, it was enough to make him famous among celebrities all over the country.
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And when one attains a certain level of fame in the United States, they surely get to be a guest on some world-famous talk shows.
Most of the time a comedian is the host of these shows. Iverson once went to Chris Rock’s show, who was on his way to becoming one of the greatest comedians of all time. And it was obviously a ‘must-see TV’.
When Chris Rock roasted Allen Iverson on his talk show
At the time Allen Iverson was an established superstar in the NBA. He had won an MVP (in 2001) against all the odds he faced since coming into the league in 1996. And was now playing for the Denver Nuggets after becoming an icon in Philadelphia.
However, much like the 6-footer taught the world that even shorter players can dominate the game of basketball as much as 7-footers, he taught the NBA and the entire sports community the value of ‘freedom of expression.’
People used to wear AI merchandise on the streets much more than they had worn previously of any other athlete. His braided hairstyle and tattoos while playing in the NBA brought a cultural shift like never seen before.
But none of it meant that the 10x All-Star was too big to get roasted by Chris Rock. Iverson, who used to rap not just as a plain hobby but, want to become a rapper got a rain check when Rock asked him,
“Magic had a bad TV show, Shaq did a genie movie, how are you gonna embarrass yourself?” Rock grilled AI, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal hilariously at once. Watch it here.
Rock was hinting at Johnson’s The Magic Hour and Shaq’s Kazaam. Both those attempts gave the Lakers legends the biggest Ls of their terrifically multi-faceted careers.
Iverson’s failed attempt at Rap
‘The Answer’ played 14 years in the NBA, a decently long career with ample accolades which could have been a lot longer and more successful with a work ethic like his fellow draftee, Kobe Bryant.
However, rapping, which AI seriously considered to be his second career but dwelt into, in just his 4th season in the league, didn’t even grow on people for a year.
His single ‘40 Bars’ in 2000, was deemed violent, homophobic, and misogynistic which put stop to the release of his first album Non-Fiction, which he later released as Misunderstood with major tweaks in the lyrics.
Iverson did win an MVP after that failed attempt in the rap industry, but as Rock joked, he did embarrass himself with his short-lived music career.
