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Allen Iverson had one of the most iconic rants in NBA history on May 3, 2002. Iverson was criticized by then-Philadelphia 76ers coach Larry Brown for missing practice during the season. "The Answer" fired back with one of the best postgame press conferences.
The Sixers were fresh off from being eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2002 playoffs. They were just a year removed from an NBA Finals berth and Iverson's MVP campaign. When a reporter asked about Brown's comments on practice, Iverson unloaded with a fiery rant.
Here's an excerpt from AI's all-time rant:
"I mean, listen, we're talking about practice. Not a game, not a game, not a game, we're talking about practice. Not a game, 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.
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"I mean, how silly is that? We're talking about practice. I know I'm supposed to be there. I know I'm supposed to lead by example, I know that. And I'm not shoving it aside like it don't mean anything. I know it's important. I do. I honestly do, But we're talking about practice, man. What are we talking about? Practice? We're talking about practice, man!"
Allen Iverson always had a tricky relationship with Larry Brown. Brown lasted just one more season with the Philadelphia 76ers before resigning after the 2003 NBA playoffs.
Meanwhile, Iverson played four and a half more seasons in Philly before the franchise traded him to the Denver Nuggets in December 2006. He never reached another NBA Finals and failed to win a championship.
Allen Iverson could have been the GOAT
Allen Iverson overcame his short stature to become one of the greatest scores in NBA history.
Iverson had the talent to take over the league but lacked the work discipline of someone like Kobe Bryant. It also didn't help that most of his coaches failed to help him realize his immense potential.
In the NBA TV special called "Everything But the Chip: The 2001 76ers" earlier this year, Larry Brown opened up about his relationship with Iverson. Brown also explained that he could have done more for Iverson during their time together.
"If I had done a better job of making Allen understand, then we might be talking about the greatest player who ever played the game," Brown said.
