Latest news with #Iverson
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Allen Iverson on realizing he had to give up his football dreams: "I would always get emotional, tears coming from my eyes"
Allen Iverson is one of the most decorated combo guards of all time. A former MVP with eleven NBA All-Star appearances, a four-time scoring champion and a member of the Hall of Fame. However, before he ever picked up a basketball seriously, his heart belonged to football. As a high school athlete, Iverson excelled at basketball and football at Bethel High School, leading his teams to the Virginia State championships. He earned the prestigious Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both sports. Iverson's football love Despite his eventual path to NBA superstardom, Allen's love for football never faded. College only made that realization more painful. At Georgetown University, he always thought about what could have been. Advertisement "We had to walk to the gym every day from class," the NBA legend recalled. "And I always had to pass the football field and I remember going past the football field, I used to always get emotional and tears would be coming out of my eyes because I missed the game so much." At Bethel High School, Iverson was the heartbeat of the team. He played multiple positions, including running back, kick returner and defensive back, making him an all-around weapon on the field. His explosiveness, vision and ability to change direction made him nearly impossible to contain. He was also good on the basketball court as the team's starting point guard, showcasing the same agility and quick decision-making that later defined his NBA career. During his junior year, Iverson put together a historic season, leading both teams to Virginia state titles. Coaches from elite college programs had their eyes on him for football and basketball, but fate had other plans. Advertisement Just months after his legendary high school season, A.I. was involved in a highly publicized altercation at a bowling alley, an incident that led to a controversial conviction. The legal trouble forced him to complete his senior year at Richard Milburn High School, a program for at-risk students. This meant no more high school football or basketball — for many young athletes, such a disruption could have ended their careers entirely. Basketball path However, Georgetown University's legendary coach, John Thompson, saw beyond the controversy and personally met with Iverson to offer him a full scholarship. Without football as an option, he leaned fully into basketball. Advertisement Even after committing to basketball for the Hoyas, Iverson couldn't resist the urge to ask about playing football again. "One day, I just built enough courage to ask him [Thompson], 'Could I play? And with the language, I don't think I can say [what he told me]," the Hall of Fame guard recalled. Following his sophomore season, A.I. declared for the 1996 NBA Draft. He was the first player under Thompson to leave Georgetown early for the pros. He was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers, officially beginning a legendary career that would redefine the point guard position. A part of Iverson always wondered what could have been had he pursued football but destiny had other plans. Instead, he became one of basketball's most electrifying and influential figures. Related: Allen Iverson said the Sixers failed to honor his legacy: "After everything I did for them… I don't think it had to end the way it did"
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"I don't think I should defend myself anymore, I'm done with that in my life" - Allen Iverson on why he's had enough trying to defend his public image
"I don't think I should defend myself anymore, I'm done with that in my life" - Allen Iverson on why he's had enough trying to defend his public image originally appeared on Basketball Network. During his career, Allen Iverson was always the subject of primetime debates, panel discussions and newspaper editorials. Advertisement Not because he lacked greatness — his Hall of Fame career is etched with MVP seasons, 11 NBA All-Star nods, and a lifetime average of 26.7 points per game — but because he insisted on being himself in a league still struggling with how to receive that. From the moment he stepped onto an NBA court in 1996 as the No. 1 pick, Iverson was not only contending with defenders on the floor but with coded language off it, fighting a decades-long battle against image politics that always seemed stacked against him. Moving on from narratives Just over a decade and a half after his last professional game, Iverson has made one thing clear: he's no longer interested in fighting a battle that never seemed to care about the truth anyway. Advertisement "At the age of 40, I don't think I should defend myself anymore," Iverson said in 2015. "I'm done with that in my life. I'm done with defending myself. I'm a villain to people that don't rock with me. I'm a superhero to the people that love me." Iverson isn't a man searching for closure. He's already lived it. The journey from a teen imprisoned for a bowling alley brawl in Hampton, Virginia, and later pardoned to one of the NBA's most electrifying stars was paved with both myth and misunderstanding. Even at his athletic peak, Iverson often found himself typecast. He was a cultural disturbance. That persona never sat easily with him, though he wore it anyway. Now, at middle-age, the burden of justification no longer seems worth lifting. In the years following his retirement, Iverson has mostly remained out of the spotlight, making select appearances at NBA events, tributes, and cultural panels, often greeted with a reverence that once eluded him during his prime. Advertisement This post-career embrace wasn't always inevitable. In 2010, just months after his final NBA game with the Philadelphia 76ers, Iverson faced rumors of financial distress, alcoholism, and alienation. None of these were ever confirmed outright, but the public frenzy spoke volumes about the appetite for sensationalism when it came to him. Iverson's stereotype There was never any doubt about Iverson's impact on the court. The Sixers legend played through pain, carried underwhelming rosters, and dragged Philadelphia to the NBA Finals in 2001, claiming the league MVP that same year. That season alone — 31.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 steals per game — told a truth far more honest than any back-page headline ever did. His image has always been at the center of discussion, not for lack of talent, but because he challenged the NBA's comfort zone. From his braids to his sleeve tattoos to the hip-hop beats that accompanied his walk to the locker room, Iverson carried himself like the neighborhoods he came from. Advertisement "It's just a stereotype," he said. "And then with my hair and the cornrows, people talk about it being a thug thing … I guess it's just [an] Allen Iverson thing, not agreeing with the fact that I wasn't going to try to look like somebody else instead of looking like myself." In 2005, the NBA implemented a dress code, widely interpreted as a veiled response to Iverson's influence on player fashion and identity. The league, concerned with its public image, required players to wear "business casual" attire when representing teams. Though not named directly, Iverson's name always hovered behind the press releases. What he was expressing wasn't rebellion; it was representation. His refusal to bend didn't stem from arrogance but from the understanding that, for kids who looked like him, saw themselves in him, and came from where he did, the power of authenticity meant everything. Today's NBA is filled with players whose fashion choices are praised as bold and whose ink and hairstyles are just as visible as their skill. The culture Iverson brought into the league now thrives unapologetically and is often celebrated. That evolution owes a debt to his stubbornness, to his resistance, to his refusal to conform. Advertisement Related: Allen Iverson on realizing he had to give up his football dreams: "I would always get emotional, tears coming from my eyes" This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon road workers urge passage of transportation bill, others warn of financial burden
Aerial view of the Interstate 5 bridge connecting Portland and Vancouver. (Oregon Department of Transportation/Flickr) Rural and urban transportation workers pleaded with the Oregon Legislature's Joint Transportation Committee to pass a massive funding package that Democrats say would solve the Oregon Department of Transportation's budget shortfalls and stabilize the state's deteriorating road infrastructure. In a three-hour hearing on House Bill 2025 Thursday evening — the last of four hearings for the much anticipated transportation package published Monday — workers shared stories about responding to floods, wildfires, fatal accidents and suicide attempts without adequate staff and resources. 'We are operating on a skeleton crew at best,' Bend-based transportation worker Justin Iverson told the committee. 'We have been dwindling down over the last 10 years, to the point that we can barely maintain the roads now.' During the wintertime, when ice and snow pile up on roads, Iverson said just four to five people cover a 300-mile area in Central Oregon. 'We are the first, and oftentimes the only, people to respond during the wintertime,' he told lawmakers. 'The public relies on us to be there. We need to be there for them, so we ask that you fund this so that we can continue serving our communities.' A vote on House Bill 2025 has not yet been scheduled. House Bill 2025 would increase ODOT revenue by creating dozens of new fees and taxes, including a 15-cent raise to the state gas tax over the next three years and almost tripling registration fees for passenger vehicles. State officials estimate they need to raise $1.8 billion each year to pay for transportation services across the state. About $205 million of that is needed just to keep road maintenance funding at its current level. The transportation department said it will run out of money needed for state highway maintenance after mid-2025. Without an increase in funding for this work, ODOT would have to lay off up to 1,000 workers, the Oregonian reported. Revenue from the bill would also fund infrastructure projects such as the Interstate 5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project in Portland's Albina neighborhood, upgrading the Abernethy Bridge and widening Interstate 205 in the Portland metro, improving the Newberg-Dundee bypass in Yamhill County, and upgrading a Salem bridge off Center Street and State Highway 22 to make it strong enough to endure earthquakes. Oregonians from around the state, as well as city and county officials — including the mayors of Bend, Portland, Beaverton and rural Oakridge and Toledo — also spoke in favor of the bill. However, Republican lawmakers and some Oregonians who testified against the bill said low- and middle-income drivers would bear the brunt of new taxes and transportation fee spikes. Some drove hundreds of miles to give testimony Thursday, or tuned in virtually, to oppose the bill. They cited existing financial strain from inflation, high housing costs and rising utility bills. Amy Reiner, a resident from Clackamas County, spoke in opposition to the bill, saying she believes the new taxes and fees would financially strain Oregon families — particularly low- and middle-income ones. 'People are already leaving Oregon,' she said. 'We shouldn't be creating policies that make Oregon harder to live in. We should be focused on making it affordable and inclusive.' Greg Remensperger, the executive vice president of the Oregon Auto Dealers Association, opposed the transfer tax portion of the bill, or a tax on used and new sold cars. He said it would burden car purchasers already dealing with a car loan at a time when those loan delinquencies are at a record high. 'Let's be honest, a 2% transfer tax really needs to be termed what it is,' he told the committee. 'It's a sales tax. Oregon residents have fought down sales taxes on multiple occasions, and they will object to this too.' Several Republicans, including state House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, and state Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, have criticized the bill, saying it was crafted by Democrats behind closed doors and rushed, without having a financial analysis prepared showing how much revenue it would raise. Bill sponsor state Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, said during an informational hearing on Monday that he thinks the bill would generate at least $1 billion in revenue. 'The public is being asked to testify without knowing what the bill will actually cost them,' Drazan said on Thursday. 'That is unacceptable.' Republicans on Monday introduced an alternative transportation package, House Bill 3982, which avoids taxes and instead redirects funding from climate initiatives, public transit and passenger rail services, bicycle programs and payroll tax allocations. The bill does not yet have a scheduled hearing in either chamber of the Legislature. A gas tax increase from $0.40 to $0.55 per gallon, starting with a 10-cent increase in January 2026 and additional 5-cent increase in 2028. Diesel would also be taxed at the same rate as regular gasoline. Vehicle registration fees would rise from $43 to $113 for passenger vehicles; $44 to $110 for mopeds and motorcycles; $63 to $129 for low-speed vehicles; and $63 to $129 for medium-speed electric vehicles. Title fees would increase from $77 to $182 for new titles, and from $27 to $44 for salvage titles. A new transfer tax on cars 10,000 pounds or less, and sold for more than $10,000, would be taxed at 2% if new, or 1% if used. Increased payroll tax for transit from 0.1% to 0.18% starting in 2026, then increased to 0.25% in 2028 and 0.3% in 2030. Increased privilege tax and commensurate use tax from 0.5% to 1% percent of the sales price of a vehicle. A privilege tax is a tax for the privilege of selling vehicles in Oregon, and the use tax applies to vehicles purchased from dealers outside of Oregon that are required to be registered and titled in Oregon. A new $340 yearly fee for electric vehicle drivers to participate in the Road Usage Charge Program. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Time of India
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'This has been the best 50 years of my life'- Allen Iverson's mother pens an emotional birthday post for the 76ers icon
Philadelphia 76ers' talented star Allen Iverson is one of those prominent NBA personalities who went on to influence a generation of basketball athletes with his cultural impact and athletic prowess of the widely loved sport. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now One of the most celebrated stars in the history of the NBA, Iverson just achieved a milestone in his life after turning 50 recently. His mother posted a heart-touching post on social media and his fans and followers cannot stop talking about it. NBA icon Allen Iverson's mother pens a heart-melting post for his 50th birthday One of the most influential NBA stars Allen Iverson just celebrated his 50th birthday. The Philadelphia 76ers' alum's mother Ann shared a glimpse of their small party held for the basketball legend on social media. According to the shared clip the room was filled with gold, black and silver balloons along with huge cutouts of AI, 50 and Chuck across the room. Ann Iverson wrote a heart-touching message for her athlete son on the occasion of his 50th birthday on Instagram. Her post mentioned- 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON THIS HAS BEEN THE BEST 50 YEARS OF MY LIFE. THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVE YOU SHOWN ME IN MY LIFETIME…KEEP THE PARTY GOING GOD BLESS YOU SON…LATER HE DID IT 50 …WHAT A BLESSING THIS IS JUNE 7, THE BIG FIVE O! MOMMY LOVES HER SOME YOU.' Allen Iverson took to Instagram and shared a message for his mother and as well as his fans and followers in a humble way for sending his lovely birthday messages. He wrote- 'Thank God for blessing me with another year. Thank you to my family, friends, and fans that, ride with me through these turbulent times we all live in. Thanks for all the Birthday wishes. Happy 50th to Me!!' Despite being a globally renowned NBA legend, Allen Iverson is quite popular for his humble and down to earth nature. From diverting all the spotlights towards himself due to his exemplary performance to influencing a generation of basketball athletes, Iverson is so much more beyond the basketball court and NBA. Also Read:
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Multiple Sixers stars give birthday love to legendary Allen Iverson
For 722 games over 12 seasons, Allen Iverson dazzled the fans in the city of Philadelphia. He threw the 76ers on his back averaging 27.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.9 rebounds while winning MVP in 2001 and guiding the Sixers to their last finals appearance in the same season. The man they call "The Answer" provided one on a nightly basis leading the Sixers to improbable wins and deep runs into the playoffs. No matter what ailment he was dealing with. No matter how his body was feeling. No matter what was going on with him personally. Iverson showed up to play and gave it his all every night. Advertisement On his 50th birthday, Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey were included in a video as they gave their own personal birthday messages to Iverson. Sixers star Paul George included a birthday message to Iverson from "Podcast P with Paul George". He and former Sixers guard Lou Williams, a teammate of Iverson's, had some love for The Answer on the episode. It's always good to see the Sixers honor their franchise legends properly. This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Multiple Sixers stars give birthday love to legendary Allen Iverson
