Allen Iverson's legendary practice rant [FULL] | ESPN Archives

we lost man you know watch to that some does that we lost everything no it's me help you know just let him know that you know I'm that pit bull in his yard if anybody tried and true I'm gonna be the one that's gonna bite and protect this home you know same thing I've been saying from day one no question about it that's what happened when you lose though you know when you lose a whole bunch of room for negativity mmm I don't feed into all this stuff I don't do no talking home run my mouth you know I mean you know coach guy any issues with me you know I I believe that they're things that I can control things that I can get a grip on but I mean this is what happened when you lose you know you go to the finals and then the next year you out in the first round this what happen you know I get it you know everybody takes shots and I don't know a versa this is just unfortunate that I can't I can punch back yeah we're on the same page why no problem with coach me I love Larry Brown you people mean I believe it you don't feel me when I said what I do know he did he's done so much for me in my career just helping me be the player that I am if there's no Larry Brown I don't think there's no MVP Allen Iverson no he's he's done a lot for me helping me fires on the court off the court but I mean when you when you lose this is how that happens I mean this what goes on when you lose no you win everything's everything I hope things cool no when we lose talked about Allen Iverson Larry Brown when I know when we win I get the praise Larry Brown get the praise when we lose it's on me and it's on Larry Brown and that's something that I just have to accept and and deal with you know I mean y'all wonder why I say I'm not different your house play I'm not I don't feel like I'm the franchise player because look at this press conference I mean look who are we talking about that's why I say I'm not the franchise playing around here I'm I'm the best Flair and I I believe that I felt like I'm the best player in the world but I mean franchise players don't don't go through this you know franchise players daughters don't have to go to school and here is your daddy coming back what's going on with your daddy and coach Brown and better that uh I mean she's seven years old and that's what she got to deal with you know I'm saying it's just it hurt because I know I'm better than that I know I I do all I can for this city for this team for this franchise for my teammates I mean I don't think nobody in the world play harder than me you know and for me to go through this it's just tough man and I'm I'm tired I'm just I'm tired you know I mean I always say everybody in Philadelphia you know all y'all know that I want to be here ain't no secret everybody know I want to be a sixsome for the rest of my career but I'm tired I'm hurt too I'm her too you know anybody tell you that I missed practice if a coach say I miss practice and y'all hear it then that's that I mean I might have missed one practice this year but if if somebody say he doesn't come to practice it can be one practice out of all the practices this year that's enough that's enough to get a whole life started I mean it's just that's enough you know I told I told coach Brown you know I mean you don't have to you don't have to give everybody in Philadelphia a reason to why I'm thinking about I mean why people thinking about trading me or anything like that I mean if you trade somebody you trade them to make the team better simple is that there's nothing personal or anything like that and I'm cool with that I'm all about that I mean people in Philadelphia deserve to have a winner you know I mean it's just simple as that you know but is to me is just bigger than that no I mean it go further than that you know I mean if I can't practice I can't practice ma'am I'm hurt I'm hurt I mean somebody's dead it ain't about that music it's not about that at all you know it's an me but is is is it's easy to the talk about is easy to sum it up when you just talk about practice we sitting here I supposed to be the franchise player and we in here talking about practice I mean listen we talking about practice not a game not a game not a game we're talking about practice not a game not if not if not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last not the game we're talking about practice man I mean how silly is that man we're talking about practice I know I supposed to be there I know I supposed to lead by example I know that and I'm not I'm not shoving it aside you know like it don't mean anything I know it's important I do I honestly do but we talking about practice man what are we talking about practice we're talking about practice man we're talking about practice we're talking about practice were you talking about the game we're talking about practice man when you come into the arena and you see me play you see me play don't you you see me give everything I got right what we talking about practice right now we're talking my practice man I look I hear you I it's funny to me to and I mean it's strange it's strange to me too but we talking about practice man we're not even talking about the game the actual game when it matters we're talking about practice how the hell can I make my teammates better by practicing I make them big they supposed to be used to playing with me anyway that's my doings my teammates so so my game is gonna deteriorate if I don't practice with those guys it's my game gonna get worse I'm asking you I'm not I'm actually I'm talking about me it ain't about just everybody else is about me too right so what about my game what about my game is my game will get better when some people don't practice on my team I mean do that hurt me you think that hurt me I mean honestly people hurt people hurt on my team yeah but do that hurt me do that hurt me as when I go out there for 48 minutes I mean do that hurt me do it do it hurt me as a player cuz this person didn't practice or that person in practice was because because they was hurt do it hurt me what you me I don't need as much what she am super so why why I'm out of super stuff why I might assume all right all right so why are we talking about me getting traded or leaving or is the problem with me no I'm not obviously I'm not I mean I'm not I'm not I mean you contradicting the hell out yourself man if I'm the best in the world if I'm the best if I'm a superstar then why is this happening man why is this going on why don't my daughter got to deal with this why does she have to deal with this every day she go to school why I'm the franchise player right I supposed to be the franchise player why am I having this meeting man why am I in here talking to y'all about this man we are man we are we are we are man we are I'm just I'm upset I'm upset for one reason man cuz I'm in here I lost I lost my best friend I lost him and I lost this year everything's going downhill for me far is just that you know far as my life and then I'm dealing with this right here I don't want to deal with this man I don't want to go through this I don't want to deal with this this is why I want to be man I love this place I love my teammates I don't have no problems with coach Brown man at all coach got problems with me far as lifting it far as I don't know what this these things about about me coming to practice and all that because I ain't been missing no practice but he has a problem with me I don't have no problem with Larry Brown man I don't have no problem with this organization at all I just don't want to go through this man that's my only problem that's the only reason that I'm upset cuz I don't want to go through this man I don't want to lose and then all summer had to go through this right here why why I mean I don't I don't feel it I don't feel it is it's right you know I'm saying I lost I lost me and my teammates and my coaching staff we lost this organization we lost but I mean I'm the only one going through it y'all hear nothing about no other none of my other teammates don't hear not about that it's me I got to deal with it when we lose I got to deal with it me me and then now it ain't even about me and coach Brown it's about him it's about Allen Iverson that's it the ball is in his corner I mean I read the little articles and I'm at my friends tell me everything people say but it's all on me it's on me and I mean I accept it but it hurt man I mean it hurt cuz I mean it ain't just about just me it's not just me yeah I got some did I I need to take care I need to get better in but everybody do but you don't talk about nobody but me but me that's it why because I I make some money because I make money yeah what that mean yes yes I'm the MVP and I got to worry about trade talk I'm MVP I'm the MVP of this league I mean the best basketball player in the world in the world I was on it with the MVP the MVP the best basketball player in the world and when I lose this what I gotta go through when I lose I can't win them all I'm human I'm just like y'all man I'm just like you I'm just like you you might be a little better than me and your eyes or the people that love you and they ask you might be a little better than me but you Hillman you just like me right you just like me you ain't no different you just like me you bleed just like I bleed you cry just like I cry you hurt just like I hurt I ain't no different than you ain't no different but I'm Allen Iverson I'm I'm a basketball player you know I I get some money to play basketball ain't different than you I'm not different than you you get paid that you get paid to get on that mic and talk don't you don't you get paid you get paid to do your job you do you you get paid to do your job right but I but Allen Iverson ain't nobody I ain't nowhere near you criticizing you about nothing cuz I'm not you're a human man you do what you do man that's your job that's your job I ain't here to critique you about what you do I don't like the way he pronounce that word or overall or dis that in the third I don't do that I don't do that to you what to be criticized I'm gonna be criticized automatically I ain't I don't have a choice I don't have a choice I ain't saying that I'm not saying that I'm saying that's why we in here having this talk because of practice what you mean great players MVP that's what I am that's what I am so it ain't got nothing to do with no practice you know handling guys going nowhere I'm not going nowhere I'm not going nowhere he can talk let him talk let him talk you can talk you can talk I'm upset I'm upset because I'm having this discussion right now I ain't upset about nothing else but just this just me having this conversation from me being here that's the only reason I'm upset I ain't upset with you or nobody else in here man it's y'all job this what y'all do I ain't upset with none of y'all I'm upset with the fact that I'm here man that's it you know me man you been with me for six years you know me you think I want to leave here I'm asking you a question that's that I mean that's that that's I mean it ain't a whole bunch it ain't a whole bunch today man you ain't hearing it from nobody else you hand it from me that's me all right you think I want to go somewhere you think I want to leave Philadelphia all right hell yeah I'm coming back that I asked him that I asked my attacks my coach can I come back ain't going nowhere and Larry Brown ain't going nowhere yeah he told me that both because I did what I got to do I'm gonna come in here I'm gonna be the biggest baddest strongest bodybuilder in the world and that's gonna make me the best player in the world that's gonna make me if I can do that if if I build myself up and get a whole lot of muscles and come back here and look like honest water are y'all gonna give me the MVP award automatically will you please do that if I come in here looks whoa and big and strong and tough y'all won't give me that a war right why not I mean I've been the MVP bony as hell I've been the MVP bony as hell so what I got to do whatever y'all tell me what y'all want me to do yeah what you know about basketball have you ever played I don't know feel Jasmine I don't know you as basketball player I don't mean for real I know you as a cosmic a columnist listen I don't know you as no Plato I don't I don't I never heard of you as no player why is that an issue could we talk about basketball we're talking about basketball what what's your question Phillip I don't know what I'm gonna do man I don't know that's God that's in God's hand I don't know what I I don't know I don't know I don't know I don't know you've got to help me if it won't I don't know that's God man God do that God do that that's God man God handles all that he handles that man up there you to say if allen iverson do this or if he do that he can be this or you can be that I mean it up to you it ain't up to everybody in here it ain't even up to me it's God God do that that's God handles all that he got more control of my body than I do he got more control over my body you know that God got more control over your body I don't care how much you eat and how much you eat well and how many many weights you left and all that if you say you're gone tomorrow you're gone right right Hey right I confuse two issues I'm am sorry for talking to you because I would not be hurt this issue I'm just hurt because it's an issue it ain't got nothing to do about going to the finals and all that I'm hurt cuz I'm hurt cuz it's the issue why are we talking about this why we talk everybody on my team all the rest of the soldiers that went to war with me and join in some and join it but look at me look what I'm going through I got to listen to Phil talk to me about this for what it's fun summertime I'm supposed to be with my kids and my wife children I gotta go through this this way I gotta go do this Allen Iverson life in a nutshell I know I don't do everything right no I do so I'll do a whole lot of good ain't right yes I do I'm just like y'all though believe me like you I'm just like you I'm just like you I might be better I might not be but I'm just like you I'm human just like you just like you when you understand that then that'll help you out that'll make you a better person like y'all talking about what's gonna make me a better bass flair when you understand that that people human just like you they're not to make you a better person I'm trying to get better you need to also you you you ain't no different man I'm just like y'all I bleed like y'all I cry like y'all I got feelings just like y'all I ain't no different from y'all but I'm Allen Iverson I'm sitting up here and y'all back there that's the only thing different why you're gonna get rid of the value commodity why would you get rid of them then you called me the MVP the world called me the MVP you talking about getting rid of MVP for to make the team better if it's to make it better if it's to make the team better then I'm cool with it I'm alright i'ma win wherever I go wherever I go i'ma win I don't care where I go I don't give a damn what team I go to i'ma win i'ma win regardless it don't matter it don't matter you talk about making your teammates better I'm gonna make them better wherever I go i'ma win just like they named me the MVP that's what I am that's why I always felt like I was I've been in the league for six years I felt like I was the MVP for six years it ain't about just Allen Iverson though I'm gonna take the punches I got two I'm gonna take all the punches I'm gonna take all of them but it ain't just about Allen Iverson it's not just about any y'all they have a heart and that's real about what y'all see in life y'all know all y'all know you just gotta ask questions you got to talk you got to do your job that's my man I love him to death but sometimes he can't take up fouling knives on all the time he got to do his job he got to all the time I love him to death when he say something about me I still love him because he doing his damn job that's his job that's what he got to do but believe me is not about just allen iverson it's not I'm gonna go to war for Philadelphia man every time you throw that ball up I'm gonna go to all i'ma fight I'm gonna do some that's wrong I'm gonna do some that's right I ain't gonna do it all right all the time Michael Jordan the greatest player in the world he'd do it right all the time he need to do it right all the time but he tried he gave his effort that's all you asked for I love him as a man that's what I care about Larry Brown the man the coach that's totally different but him the man that's what I care about Larry Brown yeah I like him as the coach made the best coach in the world I've told you a million times he the best I told y'all I said that I can't say it enough he the best in the world he never met a coach better than Larry Brown never in my life they don't have nothing to do with why I'm in here right now I don't know man I don't know all I can do is live man that's all I can do that's all I can do I got to deal with this all summer I don't have no problem with Larry Brown I love Larry Brown that's my man that's my man but in this situation right here me and him you know we in tight is I thought we was buddy having it right now you know I mean I don't talk to y'all I don't talk to y'all I don't say nothing man I don't say nothing but Larry Brown I don't talk to y'all when all I've all I I mean the that hurt me because when y'all axe him about me it shouldn't be no comment he nothing don't matter I mean and if if you gonna get rid of Allen Iverson then get rid of Allen Iverson just get rid of them do the tray you ain't got to Sasson ate them you ain't got the Sassanid his character just get rid of them simple is that I mean it cuz you're doing it to make the team better right you're doing it to make the team better if Island absent leave Philadelphia is to make the team better so I don't have no problem why would I have a problem with that I have no problem with it nobody here should have a problem with it all the Philly fans all the Allen Iverson fans shouldn't have a problem with it why would you have a problem with it because you're doing it to make the team better right that's why you're making the move right but the Sassanid meet on the way that they try to make everybody else say okay you know just why we doing it this why cuz he don't come to practice you don't show up on time you don't lead by example all that motivate me how you gonna motivate me motivate me I want to win man that's all I care about I've been in Lee six years you've got no title a bunch of individual awards that don't mean nothing they don't mean nothing scoring titles they don't mean nothing all-star games that don't mean nothing yeah I can tell my son yeah I was an all-star back in setting such but I ain't never win no championship that's all I care about man it's all I care but I don't have no selfish bone in my body man I've accomplished stuff I've done things man I want scoring titles I've been MVP you know I've been first-team all-nba first team all-nba tie mean you're the best in the world out of five players you wanted the best I've done all that I just want to win that's all I want to do that's all I want I don't have a selfish bone in my body man do I hope that I don't know yeah I hope that I want to go through this you about really me you know I'm selfish to the fact that my daughter gotta go do it I do it at 7 years old man I mean all y'all acts yourself you know just think about that if y'all had a kid that's able to that the understand what's going on and somebody talked bad about their daddy or their mother every day about a damn gang about a game how would y'all feel I mean for real honestly in the yard they got kids I know y'all understand this is my daughter got to deal with when she go to school every day tell your daddy come home daddy my teacher said don't leave daddy um um the girl in my class said you getting traded daddy this that and the third I mean for a game a damn game a game I mean I just put just put your I mean a lot of y'all I don't care what you say you can try to put your feet and my shoes they won't they won't never fit cuz you can't go through what I go through in my life but just try just try to stick your foot in my shoes just for one thing and we gotta be a damn day just for one minute this for one minute stick your foot in my shoes and try to deal with what I go through in my life my best friend did their and we lost and that's what I got to go through for the rest of this summer and to the season start over again this what I gotta go to this is my life in the nutshell y'all go home and have your lovely life man live it up to the fullest

Channel: ESPN

Views: 325,127

Rating: 4.936707 out of 5

Keywords: allen iverson, iverson, allen iverson practice rant, iverson practice, allen iverson practice, allen iverson practice speech, ai practice, allen iverson press conference, allen iverson interview, allen iverson we talkin about practice, allen iverson funny, allen iverson funny moments, allen iverson 76ers, 76ers, philadelphia 76ers, allen iverson rant, practice, practice allen iverson, ai practice rant, iverson rant, practice rant, iverson 76ers, first take, nba, espn

Id: K9ZQhyOZCNE

Length: 30min 31sec (1831 seconds)

Published: Tue May 07 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/risforpirate]

Watching the full interview completely changes the context of A.I's infamous Practice rant.

[u/CheLabani]

Press hop by DJ Steve Porter