“That bothered me a lot because I think the way kids look up to me…”: Allen Iverson opens up on his infamous practice rant for the first time in 20-years

Sixers legend Allen Iverson expresses regret over his infamous practice rant and how things got blown out of proportion.

Allen Iverson’s practice rant never gets old and is one of the most-watched videos of the Sixers MVP on the internet. On May 7th, 2002, AI would address a room filled with reporters, uttering the word practice 22-times, making it one of the most historic press conferences in American sports history.

At the time, the Sixers were coming off a disappointing season, ending their campaign in a first-round exit at the hands of the Celtics. The relationship between Iverson and head coach Larry Brown was taking its toll, with the latter publicly criticizing the Sixers guard for not turning up for practices and being non-punctual.

The Philly team’s embarrassing exit led to reports of an Iverson trade being on the cards. However, both Brown and AI had agreed to give it another shot. Thus a press conference was organized for The Answer to put these rumors to rest, but we all know how that turned out to be.

Many, including Coach Brown, felt Iverson showed up drunk to the press conference. Nevertheless, the Sixers guard would rubbish all these reports.

Also read: “I was scared to death of defending Allen Iverson”: Paul Pierce dished on how terrifying it was to go up against ‘The Answer’ in Celtics vs Sixers matchups

During a recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, AI addressed his infamous practice rant and how he would never preach that.

Allen Iverson offers a detailed explanation of his infamous practice rant.

AI’s practice rant never gets old and continues to be a source for many memes and trolls on the internet. In the past, we’ve seen the likes of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade hilariously use the practice references during press conferences.

With its two-decade anniversary around the corner, AI would finally break his silence on the entire episode, visibly seeming regretful of the incident.

“Mann, that was so off and that was something that bothered me a lot because I think the way kids look up to me and the way even guys in the league look up to me, I didn’t never want them to think that wasn’t important and that wasn’t the message I was sending. That press conference and they just kept asking me about the same thing, and I got fed up, and it was just one of those days where I didn’t wanna talk about that. The press conference was there to tell my fans in Philly that I wasn’t getting traded. I had just met with coach and Billy King, and they kept asking me about practice, I just got frustrated.”

The Sixers MVP added, 

“It was interpreted the wrong way. Now, if people do think that I didn’t like to practice and I didn’t practice then damn how good was I?”

(3:45 mark)

It’s great to see AI come and clarify his comments considering the influence he continues to have on millions across the globe. As The Answer rightly put it, how good could he have been if he didn’t practice?

Also read: “Allen Iverson left Ritz Carlton at 2 am and returned to our hotel around 6:30”: Former Nuggets coach George Karl reveals AI’s antics before dropping a 30-point piece against Clippers