You don't want to hear about how much money I donate to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America or to AIDS awareness or to give out scholarships. You don't want to hear about that.
— Allen Iverson
My dream was bigger than anything else. My fight and me wanting to fulfill what I wanted to be in life. That was enough to keep me strong enough to endure anything.
As far as how I expressed 'practice, practice, practice' over and over again, I wouldn't take that back because, obviously, that sound bite is great for the media and for the fans, because they love it.
I'm the biggest Westbrook fan, I think, there is. You know what I mean? Because he reminds me so much of myself as far as his heart and laying it on the line night in and night out. Just a guy that's going to bring it every single night.
So many people supported me and believed in me. They made it so easy for me to believe in myself, because I didn't want to let them down.
I'm a father; I'm a friend. I think I've got the biggest heart in the world. A lot of times, that's not a good thing. It's a gift and a curse.
A negative Allen Iverson story is the greatest Allen Iverson story, for some reason.
I don't have any problems with what these guys wear because they got their own style and their own originality. That's the way it's supposed to be, man.
I failed, got back up. I failed, got back up.
It was a blessing just to play one NBA basketball game.
My mom always told me that I could be anything I wanted to be. And I truly, actually believed it. And I fought.
Any one of my shoes that I had, you knew that, night in, night out, I gave my teammates and my fans everything that I had.
It was a great experience for me - the ups and downs - because I became a man in Philadelphia.
I wasn't afraid to be who I am. I didn't think anything was wrong with it.
Me and my family are straight. I am blessed. I am alive, man, and I am healthy, and that is the only thing that matters. Me and my family, everybody else, it really doesn't matter because why do you care about somebody talking negative about you if they don't know you?
I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there, but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride.
I love my fans in Philadelphia, but this is the hardest place in the world to play in. And I think it's the hardest place to play in to be a superstar. Just to be the No. 1 guy. All eyes on you - because everybody wants you to be perfect, but not themselves.
I wasn't a point guard. I was a killer.
Either you give in, or you fight. That's all I know, being where I'm from. You fight for what you want. You go after what you want. The only thing I could do was give up or keep fighting for what I wanted in life.
Detroit was a bad situation for me.
That's the only thing that got me here is my teammates. My teammates and my coach. That's the only reason I'm here.
I didn't do this by myself, man. It was so many people, so many fans that came in there and cheered for me, night in and night out.
At times, I might have been too young; I might have been too naive at times and didn't understand who I really was to a whole culture.
I think a lot of times, when people who get a chance to meet me and be around me, they understand that I'm not the person that the media make me out to be.
I went from the projects to a real house. It was a big difference.
Just understand that there's going to be some ups, there's going to be some downs.
I can't take it back. I can't take anything back. So I don't regret it.
I was recruited by every school in the country for football and basketball. And an incident happened in high school, and all that was taken away. No other teams, no other schools were recruiting me anymore.
I'm just overwhelmed with the fact that I had a signature shoe. It's actually 'my shoe.'
Just because you put a guy in a tuxedo doesn't make him a good guy.
You think I can be the MVP without practicing?
I don't watch college basketball.
Man, I'm 31 years old and a husband with four kids; I hope I'm no thug. I hear all those negative things and don't hear anything positive. I think that's all those people feel... that way that's all they hear about when you hear Allen Iverson did something negative or something.
Man, people have been waiting for me to fall off my whole career. From the first time I stepped on the court. It probably made people sick to their stomachs watching my whole career, watching the things that I've done in my career.
I just feel this is my planet.
If you're from Virginia, then you know some white people from Poquoson don't like black people.
LeBron ain't got none of my game, but his heart is all mine.
I wanted my fans and my family and my friends to be proud of me.
I don't really care too much about what people who don't care about me say about me, but a lot of times, you know, I get tired of defending myself.
I want to play basketball so bad.
Everybody is their own person.
I got a lot of love for NBC, Tom Brokaw. He did a lot for me, and I appreciate him, and I owe a lot to him for that.
I always wanted to be a Sixer... I always wanted to finish my career as a Sixer.
If I could take back all the mistakes that I made throughout my career, I would have had a perfect career. I would have missed no shots. I would have made no turnovers. I would have went right instead of going left when I was supposed to, every game.
I want to thank coach Thompson... for saving my life. For giving me the opportunity.
It was just the greatest feeling to see a kid with your shoes on.
I dressed like the guys who I grew up with. I looked like the guys I grew up with.
I am sick of defending myself, and I am not going to keep on doing it.
I may not know everything about physical talent or anything like that, but I have a sharp mind when it comes to that look: being able to look into somebody's eyes to tell if they are going to be in the foxhole with you tonight, or if they are not.
When you are not practicing, someone else is getting better.
