There are some individuals whose authenticity bleeds through their pores when you’re in their presence. Their words have a little more depth and meaning. You find yourself captivated knowing they are speaking from the heart. This was the case with Allen Iverson. The Hall of Fame point guard has a personality that lights up the room, and he somehow still felt like a giant even in the presence of Big Diesel himself, Shaquille O’Neal, during a private screening of ALLEN IV3RSON. The Prime Video docuseries sets out to show us the real man behind all the headlines, interviews, clips, and sound bites that we’ve heard and seen over the years. This time, AI wanted to take part in the narration of his story alongside the people who have been such a big part of his journey.
In the middle of Times Square, New York City, where the lights shine bright, Iverson was the star attraction. Regal Cinemas Times Square hosted the world premiere. Directed by One9, who has also brought us films like Nas: Time is Illmatic and L.A Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later, the cultural historian said he wanted to honor the man, the father, the brother, the son, the husband and the legend.
The docuseries chronicles Iverson’s life and impact on basketball culture. Guests were invited into the theater for a glimpse and a Q&A led by One9 alongside the man of the hour. Shaq’s Jersey Legends and Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media production companies teamed up to bring us the Prime Video exclusive. Attendees included Shaq, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Dave East, Fabolous, Red Café, Al Harrington and more. Once in the theater, you could see several rows reserved for Iverson’s family and friends, as he was surrounded by so many people he loved, some of whom were in the doc too.
We watched Episode 2 of the three-part offering, which started with Iverson’s high school years. He was a star athlete in not one but two sports, playing football and basketball for Bethel High School. In his junior year, he led both teams to state championships. Many highlights of Iverson’s early playing days were shown, displaying just how exceptional he was at sports even at the young age of 17. His sister Brandy mentioned the loads of recruitment letters received from hundreds of schools all over the nation. Iverson was the golden child. Bubba Chuck, which is what all his friends called him, talked about the struggles he had growing up though. Born to a mother who was only 15 years old, he shared that it felt like they grew up together. Despite the bad area they were living in and not having much, Iverson was thriving and well on his way to taking the next step in his basketball career before it all came crashing down.
On Feb. 14, 1993, Iverson and some of his friends were at a bowling alley when a fight broke out. The doc revealed how a lot of his life was almost derailed because of this one night. A kid with so much promise was now sitting in a court room fighting for his freedom. Iverson was charged and convicted with maiming by mob – a felony that carried a 15-year sentence. His mother, Ms. Ann, led the charge on an all-out campaign to free her son. They marched and protested, so much so that their cries made it all the way to the ears of then-Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder. Just four months into his sentence, Iverson was granted clemency. His mother's fight and persistence paid off – it’s easy to see where he got his grit from! While he was in prison, Iverson lost all of his scholarships and had no clear path forward. So once again, his mother stepped up to the plate. She visited the late great Coach John Thompson and asked him if he would recruit her son. He told her no, so she begged and cried, explaining that if he didn’t save her child, she would most certainly lose him to the streets. Coach Thompson agreed to take a chance on AI because of his mother’s willingness to ask for help.
Iverson’s future started to look better, but his past was not ready to let him go. While at Georgetown, he was often heckled and called “jailbird.” Once, some students at an opposing school showed up to their game with orange jumpsuits and chains. Coach Thompson didn’t let his team take the floor, insisting that he was not going to tell a kid he had to accept that. Despite all of this following him, AI thrived and became one of the best collegiate athletes in the nation. But, while he was starting to see some success, he knew his mom was struggling to make ends meet back home. His sister was sick and needed medical care, and his then-girlfriend had just given birth to their first child. He would choose to leave school early and enter the NBA draft, so he could take care of his family.
Glued to our seats, we watched what seemed to be this roller coaster of a life Iverson had lived so far – and he was only 20 years old at that point. He was drafted No. 1 overall in 1996 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Being in the NBA did provide him the ability to take care of his family – which he so badly wanted to do – but the drama didn’t stop following him once he entered the league.
Painted as a disruptor, AI was constantly scrutinized in the media. They didn’t like his tattoos, his cornrows, the friends he often hung out with. The NBA was a polished league branching out and becoming a global brand with Michael Jordan at the center. Iverson represented everything they were trying to distance themselves from. Stephen A. Smith appeared in the docuseries and recalled how it was a fine line to walk when covering the rising star. Smith stated that, yes, he was critical of him on the court but often felt the criticism Iverson received from other journalists about his life outside of basketball was unfair. The episode ended with the well-known feud between Iverson and his coach at the time, Larry Brown. A no-nonsense, my-way-or-the-highway type of guy, Brown clashed with AI, and this led to each party telling team management they wanted the other one gone.
When the lights came back on, applause filled the room. Iverson, One9 and Shaq went to the front for the Q&A. One9 asked AI what he wanted people to take from this doc, which was the perfect question to start off with. The living legend answered, “This thing was to inspire people, to motivate. I’m an open book – a lot of that stuff y'all saw in that documentary, I'm embarrassed about it, obviously. The mistakes I’ve made, the ups and downs, my turbulent life. But I felt like besides the basketball part of everything, it’s a gift that I have… to be an open book. It's a gift to share those things, and I mean... Y’all aint seen sh*t yet.”
Shaq was asked what made him want to be a part of the project and he responded, “I reached out to [Iverson] and said, ‘Hey, I would like to be a part of the production crew that tells your story and we want to hear from you…’”
“Thank you for letting me be a part of this, but I didn’t know you were Allen Escobar,” Shaq joked as the crowd erupted in laughter. You will have to watch the doc to get that reference.
The multihyphenate big man praised Iverson’s impact on the game, saying even he was influenced by the promising star. “I got a body full of useless tattoos that you can’t even see because of him. I had my little chain, but I saw him at an All-Star game and his chain made me say, ‘I have to step my jewelry game up,’” Shaq joked. He serves as the president of Reebok Basketball, but when they offered him the position, Shaq told us, “I told them we have to bring Iverson in as vice president… We don't do much work, but we got the titles.”
The final question One9 had was for Iverson: “To get to know you, I had to get to know your mother. What do you want people to know about your mother?” His mom sat front row all smiles… very proud of her boy, I’m sure. AI paused before responding with, “Damn, we ain’t got that much time… that she loves her son and she would do anything for her son.”
He then spoke directly to his mom and said, “You remember I got teased? They said I couldn’t make it to the NBA. I asked you, ‘Ma, can I make it to the NBA?’ You told me, ‘Son, you can do anything you want to do. If you want to go to the NBA, you can make it.’ In that moment, I believed I could make it, and I did. Plus, I didn’t bulls**t either, Ma. I ain’t half-step. I’m Top 75 all-time … You go girl!”
The night didn’t end there. We were invited to an exclusive after-party at The Times Square EDITION. The walls were decked with classic black-and-white photos of the man himself at different points in his career. Plus, classic signature shoes were on display throughout. But, what would a party be without a dance floor? Tunes played by DJ First Choice filled the room as we danced and toasted to an amazing night. Once again, surrounded by AI, his beautiful mom, and many of his friends and family. Iverson danced and sang Michael Jackson, capping off a successful and truly insightful evening. This night felt like a gift from the man known as The Answer, leaving me feeling like I can do anything in the world that I put my mind to. Thank you, AI. World, watch out…
