The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Iverson Opens Up

By Josh Wilson

Apr 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers flight crew member waves a large 76ers flag at center court during a timeout against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. The Heat won 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers flight crew member waves a large 76ers flag at center court during a timeout against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. The Heat won 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Former Philadelphia 76ers player Allen Iverson opened up in a recent interview with Complex about, well, pretty much everything.

Allen Iverson, aside from a quick international basketball stint that wasn’t even counted against him as far as eligibility for the basketball Hall of Fame, has been fairly removed from the basketball world since he retired from the NBA. Iverson was a very polarizing player that had some people who loved him, and some who hated him. Whatever your opinion on him was, there is something that you can not deny — that he did a lot for the NBA, and sparked a next-generation of the league. For better or for worse, that’s up to you, but he definitely was a huge part of making the NBA today exactly what it is.

Iverson has been mostly out of the media since he retired, which is quite opposite to how he was when he was in the league. The media followed Iverson around like flies on a horse, and Iverson even had two lockers in the Sixers’ locker room because of the amount of media he attracted. He’s been at several Sixers games this season, but we haven’t really seen many stories published on him. Complex got him to sit down for a while and talk about what he’s been up to, what he thinks of the league and what it has become, and whether or not he thinks he should be in the Hall of Fame.

The full interview is incredible, but here are the highlights.

Does Allen Iverson approve of Post Malone’s “White Iverson” song?

"I never got an opportunity to meet [Post Malone]. I want to meet him. He did an awesome job. I was just telling my friend on the way over here that when we get in the car, we hear [“White Iverson”] at least like 10 times a day. It definitely gets a lot of record play around here. And it’s just an honor for him to make a song with my name in it."

What does Iverson think of the sleeved jerseys that the league is rolling out?

"I like them. I like the style. I would wear them. With me, I never liked my sleeves loose. That’s why when I was in college, I used to cut my sleeves off. If they were snug, then I’m cool with it."

Does Iverson think he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame?

"I don’t know. Hopefully. If God feels like it’s my time, then yeah. But if that’s not something that He wants for me, then I respect that. He’s done so much for me. I mean, I’ve done a lot in this league. I’ve accomplished so many things in basketball. I financially secured my kids’ life and their future. I’m just happy. I’m just blessed. So anything that I’m not awarded doesn’t matter because I’ve been rewarded enough in this lifetime. The way that I believe in Him, He’ll continue to bless me in many ways. It doesn’t have to be anything as far as basketball or anything like that. I just want him to bless me and my family with health, strength, and help me with making the right decisions in my life."

Iverson had a tough relationship with Larry Brown. It looks as if not respecting him fully was one of his only NBA regrets.

"The only regret that I have is not buying into everything that Larry Brown was giving to me. I wasn’t accepting of the gift when I should’ve [been]. A lot more positive things would’ve happened if I had accepted the gift earlier. I’m glad I did accept it, eventually. Better late than never."

Could Iverson be helping the Sixers run their organization someday?

"Not as a coach. I don’t ever think I’ll coach. Anything else to help an organization, I could see myself doing. I could see myself helping a little league team, high school teams, or stuff like that. But not any coaching on a professional level. Maybe in a front office. Anything where I can help, I would definitely be up to that."

Iverson thinks the Sixers could use more veterans.

"They’re young. It’s coming, but they’re just young. You got to give them some time. It’s not going to happen overnight. They’re the youngest team in the league, so you can’t expect magic to happen overnight. They need those veteran guys in there—three or four guys that know how to do it. Put together with that young talent and they can only get better."

What’s a day in the life of Iverson like?

"I usually take the kids to school, come back home, do some work in my office, watch TV, pick them up from school, bring them home, maybe go hang out with my friends for a little while, and bring it in."

Next: Okafor Moving to PF Has Hurt Defense

There wasn’t much from Iverson in this interview that was completely riveting, but it was good to hear from “The Answer” yet again. Iverson has been showing up a lot at Sixers games lately, and hopefully that’s some sort of indication that the team is in close contact with him. It would be great to have Iverson helping the team run their franchise, especially as the rebuild really starts to get going.