by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action
I only saw Allen Iverson play in person one time during his storied and remarkable basketball career. It was in New York, where he put a special hurting on the Knicks. Stephen A. Smith was in attendance, and it was also the first time I'd been in the same space as either man.
Of course Iverson was more dazzling in person than he'd ever appeared on TV. You could easily argue that by being equally good at football and basketball as a high school athlete, Iverson was one of the greatest athletes of all time. As a high school player, Iverson led his team to state championships in both sports, and he was also Mr. Football in the state of Virigina. As a professional, he continued to be an athletic machine rarely seen at any level of professional sports.
Tim Donaghy (the ref that went rouge) wrote about various instances of how the NBA considered Iverson to be a "thug". The commission encouraged the refs to keep such a close eye on him, the refs would bet who could foul him out first. Same thing with Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and so many more of the athletes David Stern didnt like. Iverson was a free agent this past off season. His agent said no one called for him at all. I thought that was odd, he has good years left I'm sure.
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