There may not be a more infamous rant in sports history than Allen Iverson’s on “practice.” This rant has received more attention in recent days with Iverson’s official retirement, but it seems this discussion may be have started with a different source: Seattle Supersonics guard Gary Payton.
Now a commentator with Fox Sports 1 alongside stars Donovan McNabb and Andy Roddick, Payton explained that he once told the 76ers star that his coach, George Karl, did not make him practice.
A monster was born.
According to Payton, the conversation began over too many drinks and Iverson’s rant took it way too far. Payton’s said his reaction to the infamous press conference was along the lines of, “Oh, not this! Don’t say it like that, Allen!”
The player known as “The Glove” added that Iverson’s coach, Larry Brown, later came up to him and said “Look what you created.”
“I should’ve just said, ‘Coach, I was drunk,'” Payton joked.
As the #1 overall pick in 1996, Iverson was a superstar who averaged an incredible 26.7 points per game over the course of his career despite declining rapidly once he left the 76ers in 2007. His last NBA game was played in 2010. Payton, on the other hand, ended his career in 2007 after a highly productive career in which he was a complete guard who could score, pass, rebound, and defend.
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