Allen Iverson produced one of the most iconic NBA moments of all time through his rant during the 2002 NBA playoffs. The former Philadelphia 76ers star repeated the word ‘practice’ a total of 22 times in a press conference on the day in question. Later, it became a huge source of entertainment for fans as they started associating him with the phrase. Looking back on that two-decade-old instance, he expressed his regret to Rachel Nichols in the latest episode of HEADLINERS on SHOWTIME Basketball.
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“People say it was the funniest thing in the world, and I was like, ‘To me, it wasn’t that funny,'” the Hall of Famer declared. Iverson added, “You had no idea what I was going through in my life and I wish I could take it back and do it another way”. “I would’ve explained to people, ‘How you think I do all of these things on the basketball court and you look at my resume, there’s no way you can do all these things without practice,'” the shooting guard highlighted.
Following this, he opened up about how several factors contributed to him losing his patience in public. A major one behind it was the death of his best friend, Rahsaan Langford, who was shot and killed just seven months prior to the interview. The 48-year-old thus highlighted, “The way I look at it is, I lost my best friend, you know what I mean?”.
Another component was his ongoing tension with the 76ers franchise and their supporters during that period. “I was on the podium telling the whole Philadelphia and my fans around the world that I wasn’t getting traded,” the 11x All-Star declared. So the external pressure piled up on him as question marks surrounding his dedication caught him off guard on that occasion.
“The bothersome part about it all was just ‘You saying we talkin’ bout practice?'” Iverson mentioned while reminiscing about that moment. The 6″ icon further displayed his regret, stating, “That’s the only thing you can think of out of all the stuff I did on the court?”.
What did precisely spark an unforgettable reaction from Allen Iverson?
Amidst the long-standing issues in Allen’s life, the then-recent happenings mostly triggered his response in front of the press. After an exceptional 2000-01 season, the 76ers seemingly struggled in the following months. After finishing with only a 52.4% win percentage in the regular season, the Boston Celtics knocked them out of the playoffs in the first round. The following campaign thus became a huge disappointment for the entire Pennsylvania organization and its faithful.
During that phase, the complicated relationship between Iverson and the team’s head coach Larry Brown became a source of frustration. The duo engaged in arguments multiple times as the resistance grew between them. Eventually, they both committed their future to the franchise, setting their differences aside.
Thus, the 2001 MVP disliked the negative approach from the media following his sacrifices for the organization. Upon hearing the concerns over his commitment, the Virginia-born lost his temper as he let his emotions run wild. Years later, it filled him with regrets as it marked a forgettable chapter for him.
