While most premier athletes will tell you about the importance of work ethic and hard work, Allen Iverson did things his own way. Looking at AI’s resume, it’s unbelievable that he was able to achieve so much without getting into the drills like a maniac. During a recent appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, Iverson’s ex-teammate with the Denver Nuggets, Dahntay Jones, revealed just how lightly AI took his practice sessions.
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Even though Iverson was a superstar, his day-to-day life was very similar to that of his friends, who were regular people. He liked to go to parties, play indoor games with his friends, and relax for the most part. Once, Jones saw him at 6 o’clock, playing shuffleboard with his friends in the middle of a Dave & Buster’s.
Jones recalled AI’s wild lifestyle at the time when he was at the very prime of his superstardom. “We go out, party all night. Order 25 bottles of Dom P, get drunk, they carry him out,” the former NBA star revealed. The 2016 NBA champion also added that AI continued with his wild night outs all summer, skipping practice. But once he showed up to the training camp, Jones had his mind blown by what he saw.
He said, “Training camp. Come in there. Right on time. A little hamstring stretch…take five shots at five spots, and he’s AI. He ain’t worked out all summer. He in there, flying through, finishing, mid-range, you can’t guard him…He just had it.”
Iverson outplayed everyone at the training camp despite not touching the ball all summer and leading a pretty crazy life outside the court. Although some athletes would frown on this habit, AI never shied away from admitting that he didn’t do these drills simply because he didn’t feel like it.
While AI didn’t like to practice on the court, lifting weights wasn’t his thing either. During his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in 2016, Iverson admitted that he never did weightlifting in his career, something that helps the athletes become stronger and more durable. His reason was simple and crisp, “that s**t was too heavy.”
Allen Iverson’s longstanding problem with practice
During the iconic rant that he did at a press conference in 2002, AI said everything he truly feels about practice. He was never one to lace it up in practice, it was the games where he showed that there are levels to this craft. AI said, “We sitting here and I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we talking about practice!” Even after retirement, he never changed his stance. During an appearance on the Geto Boys Reloaded podcast, he said, “I didn’t give a f**k about drills. But if you play five on five, then I’m ready.”
Several people over the years have had issues with what AI thinks about practice. They forget to note that he never preached this to anyone, he simply said that he didn’t like to practice. On top of everything, AI is a Hall of Famer, a superstar with a resume that can put the majority of athletes to shame. So, whether he did his drills or not, he delivered the results that matter the most. In his 14-year long career, AI made 11 All-Star appearances, lead the league thrice in steals, was a 4-time scoring champion, and the 2001 MVP. These aren’t the feats of someone who didn’t know what he was doing.
