Episode 35: IVERSON: Chapter 3
Nicknamed "The Answer," Allen Iverson was an eleven-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA's MVP in 2001. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
However, Iverson's rise to prodigious success and influence was a long, winding, complicated road with peaks and valleys. From Hampton, VA to Bethel HS; Circle Lanes Bowling Alley to John Thompson and Georgetown; Prison to #1 Overall Pick; ROY to MVP; The Crossover, The Stepover, The Sleeve, The Finals, The Cornrows, The "Practice" Rant, The Dress Code, The Rap Album, The Marital and Financial Troubles—talking about Iverson's place in basketball history and impact on culture is an incredibly nuanced, complicated undertaking.
Ben Craw joins the pod for our most ambitious deep-dive yet, The Life and Times of Allen Iverson, an on-going series examining the life and impact one of modern sports most influential figures.
CHAPTER 3
Douglas Wilder—the first African American governor ever elected in the history of the United States (4:30), S.W.I.S. (7:30), Iverson's clemency (9:40), imagining AI's future without Circle Lanes Bowling Alley (12:15), Iverson pursuit of basketball and Georgetown (13:30), John Thompson (15:20), Rayful Edmond (20:30), AI's first tattoo (30:00), AI learning The Crossover (32:00), Iverson declaring for the NBA draft (33:00), Pat Croce (36:00), Allen Iverson goes #1 overall in the historic 1996 NBA Draft (41:00) and Iverson's rookie year highlights (45:00).
Enjoy the show? Wanna share an Allen Iverson memory? Got an angle or story you'd love to hear covered on the pod? Let us know!
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