Former Sixers GM Had to Hide Allen Iverson's Jersey When He Was Injured
Nobody in the City of Brotherly Love could ever question Allen Iverson's work ethic when he was on the court for a game. Sure, he might've brushed the idea of practice off during an unforgettable rant and even took breaks during practice sessions to take down some Taco Bell, but when it came to the game, his will to want to win unquestioned.
Recently, former Sixers General Manager Billy King joined the Audacy NBA Show to talk about his tenure running the 76ers' front office. While King was in charge of Philly's personnel moves during an exciting time since Iverson was at the top of his game, it wasn't always easy to manage 'The Answer' -- especially when Iverson was technically not supposed to play.
According to King, the Sixers would have to hide the Hall of Famer's jersey on game nights when Iverson was not medically cleared to play. Since the former first-overall pick wanted to do all he could to help lead his team to victory, Iverson apparently didn't believe in taking games off even though he was dealing with a setback.
“When he was injured and we knew he couldn’t play we used to hide his jersey,” King said. “Because he would come to the locker room looking for his jersey, we’d lock it somewhere so he couldn’t get it."
"One time, in New York, he found his jersey but didn’t have any shoes," King said. "He was trying to send the ball boy to the Foot Locker around the corner. He said ‘just give me a pair of their Reeboks. I can play in those.’ Then he pointed to an attendant, ‘what size are you, just give me those shoes,’ because he wanted to play so bad.” (h/t 94WIP)
Does this story really surprise anybody?
Iverson might've given off the idea that he doesn't care about the game of basketball due to his "practice rant," but that couldn't be less true. Anytime the Sixers legend could step foot on the court, he gave his opponents everything he got. And even when his team wanted him to sit, Iverson would do anything he could to avoid watching the game from the bench in street clothes logging zero minutes.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.
