INTERVIEW: Allen Iverson On 'Misunderstood,' NBA Career & Relationships Challenges, Not Winning a Ring + More

Today on The Breakfast Club, Allen Iverson On 'Misunderstood,' NBA Career & Relationships Challenges, Not Winning a Ring. Listen For More!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Every day a week, clicks up the Breakfast Club, finish
for y'all.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Done morning everybody.

Speaker 3 (00:08):
It's the j en Vy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne the God
we are the Breakfast Club. Lona Ros is here as well.
We got a special guest in the building.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Man, another culture like we having a weaker culture.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Like ai Alanson, Chuck whatever you want to call him,
Mster seven five seven. He's in the building. New book
Misunderstood is out right now alan Ovis. Ladies and gentlemen,
are you feeling man?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Good life? Life be life in the same fight, different round,
you know what I mean? I want to how much
time we got to like me because I don't know
where it's gonna go. But look, man, friends, all right,

(00:51):
so I know you know what type of I mean.
I'm just mean, Jess, But you know, you know how
you get to know somebody from afar and you get
basically kind of tell what type of person they are.
You know what I mean. Obviously I've known you since
I was in high school and big fan of you,
bro move close. I'm bad friendships, Man, It's hard, you

(01:19):
know what I mean? Because when you think about your friends,
obviously you know you can't choose your family members, you
know what I mean, you're born into that. But your friends,
you feel like, you know, y'all got so much in
common with each other, and you have so much love
for them because you know they kind of like a
basically a reflection of you, or you got the same

(01:39):
type of things in common or whatever, and you just
grow to love them like family. They become you know,
the guys become brothers, and your homegirls become your sisters.
But it's rough man navigating through that, you know what
I mean. I know how much I love my family,
my friends. I got so much when I first got

(02:01):
into the league, you know what I mean. It was
the entourage, bringing homeboys from where you're from. You trust
them so much, you love them. You want them to
go on the ride with you. You want them to
take this journey, you know through it. It's new to me.
I've been poor all my whole life, and then snap
of a finger, I'm rich and famous and it's a lot,

(02:22):
you know what I mean. So you want to have
so many people around you that you love me, you trust,
you know what I mean. And the money man just
you know what I mean, it's just you know what
I mean, and it's it's it's so different from me,
and it's so hard for me because with my athletic

(02:45):
ability that I was blessed with. I've been like this
since I was eight years old. Like I always felt
that I was rich, but I was poor. I always
been famous, you know what I mean. When I was
eight years old, I go into barbershop and guys said
teen eighteen, twenty twenty five years old. Guys like, oh shit,
there you go. You know that's the one right there,

(03:05):
that's him. So it's always been that for me. I
always had that attention, you know what I mean. I
always been like that. And you know, once I got
some money, it was no different from me. Obviously I
could do things with my family and my friends that
I couldn't do before. You know, that's that goes without saying.

(03:25):
And I've never had a person you know my nickname obviously,
you know my name, Chuck. You know, I've never heard
a person say, you know, once Chuck got some money,
he changed, Once Chuck got to the NBA, he changed,
you know what I mean. I've never heard that, you
know before, because you know, the people that know me
and love me and the people that I love know
I'm me, you know what I mean. That's one of

(03:47):
my biggest fears, or had been one of my biggest fears.
Of looking in the mirror and not being able to
recognize you know, well, my mom and the people that
I loved. Not be able to recognize who I see,
you know what I mean, meant something to me. But man,
just the painful lessons of friends not being who you

(04:08):
think they they are. When you add the rout of
all evil, any.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Thing, something something just recently happened.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
It happens, and the reason definitely, it happens all the time.
But I feel a pendulum swinging in another direction as
far as how I feel about it, like how it
used to hurt me. You know what I mean. You
you tell someone you want to find out if somebody
your friend, you tell them no one you know, and

(04:39):
and their reaction with what was said all you know
what I mean? Chuck a man, I got a business,
you know, opportunity. I want to start this. I want
to start that. Man can give me a hundred thousand
and you don't even have to tell them no. You
can say not right now, you know later on. But
these are the same people pay their rent that over

(05:00):
the years child support. You know what I mean, you know,
pay your mom rent. You know this that every time
you go to a jewelry store, you're taking them, you know,
because the most awkward feeling is you know, for me,
this is just me growing up, being young and not
knowing early in the preliminary stages of getting some money.

(05:22):
You know what I mean, Like I don't want to
be shining and looking good and my homeboys not. So
when I go see Manny, you know what I mean,
they going You know what I mean, when I get cars,
they get cars, you know what I mean. Like, and
you know it's just like when you tell them no,
the way they you know they act. You know, somebody

(05:42):
saying this, yo, man, what's up with your man?

Speaker 1 (05:44):
They are?

Speaker 2 (05:45):
You know, what's up with the man? Fuck that nigga?
Dangn You know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
Like after reading your book, nobody's your question. You're loyal.
You'll ever say you took care of me.

Speaker 3 (05:53):
I'm what you've seen, But do you regret that? Because
I mean, Virginia, that's you everywhere.

Speaker 2 (05:59):
That's where I say the pendulum is swinging. That's that's
why I say or feel that my maturation is on
a higher level now because back then, when something traumatic
will happen to me like that, I see how they
act for me telling them no, like you know what

(06:22):
I mean. Like it's like I feel myself not giving
the damn anymore, Like you know what I mean. Like
I'm talking about the same people that come to me,
you know, be at my practice eight o'clock in the morning,
you know, Christmas Eve, saying what their kids don't have?
You know what I mean. One thing about the people
that you love, people that love you or supposed to

(06:45):
love you, is they know you better than anybody. They
know my heart. You throw your kids in there, you
know what I mean. Everybody know Christmas on the twenty
fifth of December every year, you know what I mean.
But man, my kids ain't gonna have nothing, you know
what I mean, what I supposed to do.

Speaker 4 (07:00):
Something you said in the book that hit me too
is you was like, man, you was that kid, so
you understood what it felt it not have when they
came to you.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
You was like, I gotta do.

Speaker 2 (07:07):
And I had the mother and the father that hustled
to get us what they could, but they couldn't get
us things. You know, I wanted op ed for Christmas.
I wanted certain things and then you wake up that
morning and it's not there. You know, you may have
a you know, past sneakers or T shirt and that
be the only thing you get, you know what I mean.

(07:28):
So you know, I ain't never want my homeboys kids
to you know, look at them crazy And now you know,
like i've years ago, it's you know, I ran into
the craziest shit. But years ago, you know, money got funny,
you know what I mean? And you know I had
realized at a point like I ain't have the word

(07:51):
knowing my vocabulary when it comes to people, you know
what I mean, Like I was so used to I
never held anybody accountable for why I had to be
the one taking care of everybody, you know what I mean.
I was the one going to work every single day.
I was breaking bones, stitches on the stitches in my face,
you know what I mean. And it just it just

(08:13):
taught me a lot, man. And now you know, I know,
life be lifeing, But to be still dealing with those
type of people and caring about how they feel when
you know what you've done for them, you know, you
wake up. And some people wake up in their life
just not where they wanted to be. And the first
thing you could think of is blame it on Chuck,

(08:35):
you know, figure out some way that I can blame
it on somebody else to while my life is not
what it is.

Speaker 3 (08:41):
You ever have impasta syndrome? And the reason I asked
if you talk about all that right? And I remember
the Bowling Alley incident in Virginia, and it feels like,
regardless of what happened in VA, you always came back
and you always wanted to show the love. No matter
what happened. You talk about the people you put on
the city was against you, and Virginia could have been
racist back then. It was really racist back then. We

(09:03):
all seen it, but you still came back to that
seven five seven to show love.

Speaker 2 (09:07):
I am I am VA. It's me, It's Amy, you
know what I mean. And the crazy, crazy thing about
what I was just talking to my man about this
before we got in here, so I had to do
all the stuff, you know, all my media runs and
all that. Yesterday I just signed a thousand books and
you know, take a thousand pictures, you know what I mean?

(09:28):
With the people that bought the books beautiful, but I was,
you know, I was tired, and right after that as
my daughter's birthday, and I had to you know, she
wanted to be with me, so I had to, you know,
take care of her after all of that, and I
got done. Maybe I started at six, got done like
maybe ten o'clock. She wanted to go bowling and wanted
to go to a escapeboarm okay, but I had no

(09:53):
idea that the escape room was like you're in a
jail scene, you know what I mean. I'm like, yo,
this this is your life for real, Like out of
all the places that she want to go on her birthday,
bowling in a jail. You know.

Speaker 5 (10:12):
But she's smart because you got to figure out how
she probably figured out how.

Speaker 2 (10:14):
To get But you know, I'm thinking, like the last
place I want to be from my memory to jail
bowling out, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (10:24):
So I mean, I want to go back to your
friend's thing real quick, right because even in the book,
there's nobody that felt like that was around you that
didn't help you in some way, shape or form. So
you was repaying them, like you talk about how when
you was in jail, they was taking care of your mom.
And they were the ones that would tell you, you know,
you know, you're not gonna be hustling, You're gonna be
playing ball. So it wasn't like you just had a

(10:44):
bunch of leeches around you. Was there was people that
looked out for you, so you look back out for them.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
You know what I would have I would have done
it anyway. Like I ain't never expected like if I
if I you know, if I look out for one
of my my homeboys, my home I don't expect you
to give it back, you know what I mean. I
ain't never asked for nothing back. You know what I mean.
I just feel like me being ahead of the snake.

(11:11):
You know, it's like me the perfect example. It's like
me being on twenty one team went to the finals.
I'm the killer. Everybody know that this is the guy
gonna put the ball in the basket. This is what
he do. Now, what we do is compliment him. We
do everything else. All his deficiencies and things that he
can't do on the defensive end of the you know,

(11:33):
of the court. You know, he's leading the league and
stills year after year. But you got to gamble and
when he gambled. The ken Bay is there to make
sure I'm good. The O is there, the block shots
make sure I'm good. They could do all of the
things that I couldn't do it, and that's what that's
what made Voltron, you know what I mean. You put
all those things together, and that it was me and

(11:54):
a bunch of dogs, you know what I mean. And
it's the same thing with my friendship. Yeah, he's the guy,
you know what I mean, he's like us, but he's
not like us, you know, he is AI. So we
got to act accordingly to that. Yeah, he chucked us,
you know what I mean, but people look at him
another way. So I have a role, you know, I
have to do this. This is my part. This is

(12:14):
what I have to do, you know what I mean.
This is what I have to do, you know. And
I don't know, I don't know if I said that,
but looking out for my mom financially, it is totally
different than going around there and checking on you know
what I mean. It was never no you know, like
like I did when it came to to that family,

(12:35):
you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (12:37):
Another thing too, and maybe this could be part of
what you're feeling right now. It seemed like the whole
team had a dream.

Speaker 1 (12:43):
It wasn't.

Speaker 4 (12:43):
It wasn't you supposed to get on in basketball. You're
supposed to get on in basketball. And everybody was supposed
to make it a rap, so everybody was supposed to
be doing their own thing.

Speaker 2 (12:50):
I didn't have the I didn't have the Lebron James. True,
I didn't have that blueprint, you know what I mean.
I'm like, look, we're gonna get in when we fit in,
you know what I mean. Like, I've had one of
my homeboys tell me, like, I'm going to work every day,
working every day. Mas's supposed to be a superstar by now,
you know what I mean, going to work. I'm like,

(13:10):
like I've had incidents like you know, I'm getting ready
to go on the road and it was a casino,
you know what I mean. And I go to the bank,
I get fifty thousand, they got thirty thousand and large
and twenty thousand and you know, twenties. And I'm getting
on the plane. My man come, I give him the
twenty thousand. He looked at it like it was something

(13:32):
wrong with it because it was all twenties, you know
what I mean, Like, yo, did this, you know, really
just that really just happened, you know what I mean.
And it's like, you know you can, you can. You're
thinking you're doing what's right, but you only you're not
holding people accountable. You being a crutch for him. It's

(13:54):
like putting a band aid on something, you know what
I mean. You're not stitching it up, you know what
I mean, not stapling it, you know what I mean.
And they always feel like that, you know what I mean.
But like the hurtful part is the response of actually
saying no, probably because they never heard it, like when
I implemented that in my vocabulary, like no, what you

(14:19):
know what I mean? And and like for somebody I'm
built so different, like somebody just like en be getting
me a barber, Like that's gonna be something that resonates
with me forever. I know, we already got a relationship,
you know what I mean, But still, like I needed
a barber in New York. My man looked out for me,
Like that goes long way with me. But you can

(14:42):
do a million things for somebody, you know what I mean.
The first time, you know what I mean, And I
was warned about it, you know what I mean, Aaron
Mkey told me. He said, Chuck, just you know what
I mean. When you when you cut in your grass,
you know what I mean, and you getting them snakes
out of there, you ask ask somebody, you know, let

(15:04):
him ask you for something and tell him no, you
know what I mean. And I think I'm doing a
great job of cutting it. But you still got a
little small you know. The snakes might be gone, but
some worms in there, some small you know.

Speaker 4 (15:19):
Right now it's Charles Barkley and a whole bunch of
people saying we was trying to tell him.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
This thirty.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
Yeah, but when you when you like it's just like
the basketball aspect of everything. I ain't never think that
I will retire there early, you know what I mean. Man,
I ain't never had no back up playing Like growing up,
once my mom told me I could be anything I
wanted to be. I wanted to be a NBA basketball player,
and that was it. It was no it was no
b C. D. It was just that that one dream,

(15:47):
you know what I mean. I didn't have no no blueprint.
I ain't even had nobody in my family that went
to college, you know what I mean, nobody ever been married.
You know what I mean. Everything was new to me.
I was. I was doing everything on the fly, you
know what I mean, So you know my mistakes was
coming at a rapid pace, you know what I mean.

(16:08):
And you know you think you know. Coach Thompson used
to always tell me, you always listen in to everybody else.
You're always listening to somebody that's never been to you know,
from A to Z telling you how to get there,
you know what I mean. And that's what I was.
I had everybody that wasn't me and never had the

(16:29):
experience telling me how to do it.

Speaker 3 (16:31):
You talk about your VC plan right, you see what
Michael Vick's doing with Norfolk State. Absolutely have you ever
thought about coaching?

Speaker 2 (16:37):
No? Why not?

Speaker 3 (16:39):
Because they would listen to you, right, especially if you
go They were definitely listening.

Speaker 2 (16:44):
I've been, I've been one of the players, you know
what I mean. Yeah, coach make millions of dollars, but
you got these guys making That's why I take my
hat off to anybody that coached the NBA. You know
what I mean, Like you have a unique talent, you
know what I mean. To have a bunch of guys

(17:04):
with a bunch of egos everybody come from being a
man and then you put them on the team and
everybody got the same goal. And I just don't feel like,
you know, I can coach you guys A bunch of
guys that make more money than me. Listen to me
for what that's why? Is it god given talent? Any
NBA coach that make it that far blessed?

Speaker 1 (17:24):
Not even NBA coaches.

Speaker 4 (17:25):
You talk about in the book how you filed out
and you had to be on the sideline and you
just was watching it from your coach's perspective. I think
that was in high school, baby, and you was like, damn,
this is what you see.

Speaker 2 (17:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (17:37):
I want to ask you about the title of the book.

Speaker 4 (17:38):
Man, do you think you were misunderstood that the title
of the book or did people outside of your circle
just not take the time to understand you.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
You're a smart dude sometimes a lot. This is one
of my favorite shows. So I you know, I see
the good days a bad days. I watched Dame come
up here. It's for real, it gets real. I think this.

(18:13):
I think they can answer it better. My perspective is,
you know, they were learning on the fly to It's like,
you know, with my documentary that's coming out. It was
like three hours long. I think I cried like two
and a half hours of I had to keep walking

(18:34):
out of the theater because you think, you know, when
it comes to people that love you, you think you
know how they feel about you know, turbulent times, you
know what I mean, and you think you know how
they feel. You think your girl know, you think you
think you know how your girl feel. You think you
know how your mom feel, your uncles, your aunts, your homeboys,
your homegirls. But then when they actually tell you from

(18:56):
their point of view, how they felt, you know, and
how they looked at things, and how I didn't see
how I was fucking up, you know what I mean,
how they had to try to address me with certain
things like you know, you driving the car, we we
riding shotgun, you know what I mean. Like and it's

(19:16):
hard to tell somebody, you know that's trying to live
their life, you know what they should do and what
they shouldn't do, you know what I mean. Like I'm
twenty one years old, you know what I mean. When
I got into the league, and at that age, like
you know what I mean, you couldn't you couldn't tell

(19:37):
me nothing. You know what I'm saying, Like I'm here,
you know what I mean. Like the dress code, I'm like,
I dressed like the dudes, the drug dealers from my neighborhood.
Like you know, I'm dressing like this because you know
this is what the old here is from my neighbor
but this is how they dressed. You know what I mean.
I just couldn't afford it, you know what I mean?

(19:58):
My corn rolls. I got corn rolls because I was
tired of barber's messing my hair. I was like, damn,
if I just grow my hair, you know, I ain't
got to deal with that. You know. Tattoos just got addictive.
I got one. I couldn't afford him. I would have
been got a lot of it. And you know I was.
I was playing everything by ear. Like I said, I
didn't have My daddy was a hustler, you know what

(20:21):
I mean. He was in the streets, my mom in
the streets, Like I didn't have no.

Speaker 6 (20:27):
You know, I sit you down and give you structure.

Speaker 2 (20:30):
Is how you wasn't no Coach Thompson then, you know
what I mean. Wasn't those people They weren't in my
life yet, So all of all of that was where
he was he was, but it was it was he
was there. You know. When I got to the NBA
me and his phone calls was you know, we never
talked about basketball, all right, Yeah, I'm just checking on

(20:53):
I swamna. It's good out of kids, you know what
I mean? And that was it. He was allowing me
and thinking he was preparing me at Georgetown for what
was they inevitable me going to the league. You can't
prepare for that, bro?

Speaker 3 (21:07):
How was that pressure though? Cause the nicest player, right,
But you changed culture. But when you changed the culture,
the NBA pushed back against it. But you never broke.
You never folded, even though they could have said, they
could have banned. AI said now we don't want you
in our league.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
But you never folded.

Speaker 3 (21:24):
You never back down, and you kept it that way,
which hurt you at times.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
Why was that they profited off of too? You know
what I mean? Like I would be on. One of
the things that hurt me is I was on a magazine.
They wanted me on a magazine because of my talent
and who I was, but they airbrushed my tattoos off
or you want me but you you know, you want
some of me. I took the ass with it for it.

(21:50):
But the dress code thing, like I actually was just
you know what I mean, I was twenty one. Where
am I going after the game? Going to the club,
you know what I mean? Before that, you they were
used to dudes wearing soups, and you know what I mean,
I was like, damn, Like, I've never worn a soup
growing up. I'm going to church or to a funeral.
The only time I put on them in the courtroom.

(22:18):
Definitely in the courtroom. So I never wore a soup
to the to the gym, to play, to the to
the park, sweatsuit, you know what I mean, or whatever.
You know what I'm saying. So I ain't think I
ain't think nothing of it, you know what I mean.
And then you know I got some money, so the
jewelry and I always had a fet as me and

(22:39):
my mom since I was a little kid, you know
what I mean. It's always been like that. So you know,
I remember being and and uh in college and my
teammates like, yo, when you get to the lead man,
you're gonna get the jewelry, like park, you know what
I mean, you gonna have the jewelry like puff you
know what I mean. Yeah, you know, and the first thing,
like when the first thing I did was come up

(22:59):
here and went to Tito. You know what I'm saying,
Like I didn't think nothing. I was living, you know
what I mean, And David Stern and rested in me.
They was like nah, because it was all right when
I was doing it. But then everybody else said, okay,
like he can do that, we can do this. So
then everybody, you know, you see Kobe coming in with
the diamond chains on and the baggy clothes, and you know,

(23:21):
everybody started doing it. Then the league was like, hold on,
we gotta do something about that. So it wasn't it
wasn't anything malicious like and that and that. That whole
situation showed me a lot and it proved a lot
to me at a young age about stereotyping people. Because
you know, when you seen John Gotti, John Gotty kept
on the two thousand dollars suit, but what was he

(23:42):
He get busy, you know what I mean. So it
ain't about what you got on. You watched reservoir dogs,
what they have on when they when they robbed that.
You know what I'm saying, so it ain't about you
know what you got on on the outside, who you are.

Speaker 3 (23:55):
And they said that bother you the most where they
labeled you a thug.

Speaker 2 (23:59):
Yeah, you know what I mean, I'll be cool with
I'll be cool with, you know, a street dude. Cool
with that, because that's what I am. I mean, that's
where I come from. That's all I've ever been around
my life. That's where I grew up around, you know
what I mean. But a thug like h nah, that's

(24:23):
a that's a stretch.

Speaker 1 (24:25):
I was wondering would you change things?

Speaker 4 (24:27):
And the reason I asked that because even in the book,
you understood you had to wear a suit the court,
but you didn't want to do it for press conferences.

Speaker 2 (24:35):
In the NBA, I was bad advice like I was.
I was, you know, I was told to take a uh,
go to trial and go off whatever the judge say,
opposed to having a jury. That was bad, you know
what I mean. Some of that I was getting advice
from people that never had been through it, you know

(24:56):
what I mean. I was told that if I was
suit then they'd be lenient. I was. I was extremely wrong.

Speaker 1 (25:05):
So you wish you to just water I'm not.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
I remember. I remember that same suit. I was a
in a sale. It was one hundred degrees with no
fans in there, and the older sale. I was in
a four man cell with fifteen people, you know what
I mean, and that suit. When they came got me,
I was in the corner with my boxes on, you
know what I mean, soaking wet, and the suit was
balled up in the corner. When they came and got

(25:32):
me out of there, I had on my boxes, you
know what I mean. So I don't know what. Do
you regret anything? Nah? Because I wouldn't be you I
am now, you know what I mean? Anybody, if I
died and came back, I would, Man, I'd rather be
me all over again. But if I change everything. If
I knew it was coming, anybody going, if you're going

(25:54):
down of one way street, you're gonna get on the
right side of the road. You see the tract the
trailer coming, and you know it's coming. You know what
I mean. That prepared me to be the man that
I am today. I had to take this ass whooping
with the dress code. So now look at everybody, everybody
give me my flyers for that. You know what I mean,
for you got them all these personalities. Why would everybody

(26:17):
dress the same? You got different basketball games? Why everybody
look the same? You got different games? And people feel
good about this. So when you I love it thinking
about you know when I when when it's time to
go somewhere, trying to go to the club or whatever.
I ain't battling with the dudes at the club, you
know what I mean. I can't wait to meet everybody

(26:37):
downstairs and see what everybody got on. You know what
I mean, Like I want to be you know, I
want to be smoother than my man, you know what
I mean, Like that make you feel good, you look good,
you play good even on the court. I wanted to
look like a superhero like Michael Jordan used to look.
You know what I mean, Like I wouldn't. I wouldn't.
I wouldn't. I wouldn't change I wouldn't change anything, man

(27:01):
in my life, all of these experience, even with the book. Man,
it's like I love like my girl always talk to
me about why do you let like what I started
talking about in the beginning, why do you let that
type of shit bother you? And I like practice press no,
just just what my friends, how people you know what
I mean, It's like why and I don't know, you

(27:24):
know what I mean? Like I love the people that
I love and it hurt when they show you who
they really are because I'm thinking you somebody else, you
know what I mean? And she like, you know, why
do you stress out over stuff like that? And one
of you different. You have a talent and you you're
blessed to be able to brush that stuff off. It's
hard for me now. My talent obviously is you know,

(27:47):
legendary with who. But I think another blessed blessing that
I have is to be an open book, to be
someone I'm embarrassed by practice rant I'm embarrassed about, uh,
not really embarrassed. But it wasn't smart for me to,
you know, because I remember, you know, people telling me Ai,

(28:07):
you cannot take care of everybody, and I used to
let it go on one air and write out the
other like, yo, you know what I mean. I'm gonna
be the exception to the rule. I'm gonna take care
of the people that I love, like that's just me,
you know what I mean.

Speaker 5 (28:21):
And I think that's why I hurt you so bad,
because your heart isn't it. You love these people. You know, yeah,
yeah you're superman, but you still have a heart, you
know what I mean, And you.

Speaker 2 (28:31):
Like but this is but this is my This is
my gift, Like this is my gift to this book, this,
this documentary. My experience is the turbulent, the ups and downs.
Like if one kid or one adult whatever read this
book and they can take something from it. I have
people come to me all the time be like, yo, man,
you inspired my life. Man, I would have died if

(28:53):
it was for you. I would have went to jail
for the rest of my life. You know what I mean,
Like you changed my life. You know, you inspire me.
You know your story and this that and the third
like and that that motivate me. You know what I mean,
Like to give more, Like to even when you embarrass
you uncomfortable, you know, talk about it. Somebody might not
have to go through it. Somebody might. You might save

(29:14):
somebody's life, you know what I mean, Like talk about it.
You know what I mean, you might not be You know, man,
you was on top of the world. You had all
the money, you know what I mean, all you had
to do. It's easy for a motherfucker to tell Chuck
what to do with his easy for somebody to say
what I would have did? Man, if I was him,
I would have did. You ain't me, motherfucker. You know

(29:35):
what I mean. You don't know how. I'm sorry you
not me. You know what I mean. I make mistakes.
I'm human just like you.

Speaker 1 (29:42):
That's why we love you, and I love how I
love how.

Speaker 4 (29:45):
The whole book Misunderstood is literally an explanation as to
why the whole infamous practice press conference even happened, because
you was dealing with so much at the time, so
it wasn't even about you know, those people in the room.

Speaker 1 (29:59):
It's everything else. I was going on outside.

Speaker 2 (30:01):
Man, best friend just just got killed, you know what
I mean. I'm like, I'm coming in there, But Charla, Man,
I'm coming in there like like I'm I'm on cloud nine.
I'm like, yo, I get you know, my kids dealing
with this, like they going to school every day and
their class may tell your daddy, don't leave, Tell you dad,
they don't leave. You know, my wife going you know,

(30:22):
she out in the city. People tell your husband, please
don't leave. We love them. So they going through it.
You know what I mean, my kids don't really understand daddy,
don't don't get traded, don't leave like I don't have
no control over it. So when they called me in there,
it was like, yo, you ain't going nowhere. So I'm like, shit,
can we call a press conference? You know what I mean? Yeah,
I got all everybody in there. I get to tell

(30:42):
the world I ain't going nowhere. This dude just keep
on asking me about practice, practice, practice, you know what
I mean. I'm like, practice, Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
I'm like, this is not what we're here for. This
is we I mean, let's rejoice, let's be happy, you
know what I mean. But it's you you, if you
know what I know. You got beat writers that write

(31:04):
every day. And then you know, I was telling steven
A on this show yesterday, like they want exclusive, you
turn them down for exclusive the first chance they get,
kick your back off, you know what I mean. And
it was him. I'm sitting there looking at him, you
know what I mean, Like, and if I was, if
I was prepared, which I wasn't. If I was, I'm like, yo, man,

(31:24):
I was the MVP last season, the best player in
the whole world. You know what I mean, coming from
where I come from, and if I didn't practice, how
would I be able to accomplish something like that. I
must be really good, you know what I mean. But
I wasn't prepared for it like that because I was
so emotional and angry that him. You know, this is

(31:45):
about being happy, man.

Speaker 3 (31:47):
That's what the misunderstood is about.

Speaker 2 (31:48):
Right.

Speaker 3 (31:49):
One thing I would I would say about AI is
if you ever see him out, he's gonna talk to you.
He's gonna hug you like he's It's funny when people
say you're from the street or when labeled you a thug.
I'm like, when you.

Speaker 2 (32:02):
See him out, he's the total opposite.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
He gonna hug you, he gonna ask you how your
family is right when you used to have a looking
at it. He gonna kiss you on your forehead, like brother,
I love you like no, for real, I love you
and hen and he means it, and he means well
for all his people. And that's the side I don't
think people see I love. I was saying something the
other day. I was like, I was walking down the
street with Virginia and Charloman was like he was walking
I was like, I was walking down the street and hey.

Speaker 2 (32:22):
I pulled up and what's up?

Speaker 3 (32:23):
Hop out the car house your family?

Speaker 2 (32:25):
Give me a hug, aful. Yeah, what you're doing tonight?

Speaker 3 (32:28):
You you got you got some of the city eye.
I'm gonna come then text me later on Yo, I'm sleeping.
I ain't gonna bring it. I'm like, yeah, but that's
him with everybody, And I'm like, that's the side that.

Speaker 2 (32:37):
People heard, the people's the people's I look at it
like I look at it like I watch I watch
people and how they get down, and I'm like, damn,
I would never you know what I mean? But Teach's on,
you know, me being me is, you know, the best
thing in the world of me. Yes, I wanted to

(32:57):
be like Mike growing up. I wanted to be like Mike. Yes,
I didn't want to be him. You know what I mean. Like,
I love being me. Everybody else is taking up anyway,
you know what I mean? Like I love, I love
who I am. I never disrespect my God by wanting
to be something else. I never disrespect him, you know
what I mean? By wanting to be somebody else? I love.

(33:20):
I didn't win a championship, but I'm the people's champ
I love you know, people coming to me. Ai what
you're doing here? I'm in Walmartol, I'm a target on
the grocery store. You know what I mean. What you're
doing here? Man? Shocky like you security man? That part
of my life is I just man, I'm not I'm

(33:40):
not a thug. I'm not a gangster. You know, hurt
me for what? You know what I mean? What am
I scared to just? You know what I mean? Like
what am I?

Speaker 4 (33:51):
I always say, you're the only player who didn't win
a ring, who feel like a champion because.

Speaker 1 (33:56):
To us, like cham, I got an ring.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
It's it's crazy that you say that because I'm blessed.
Look at all of the look at all of the
other things that He's done for me. When I wake
up every morning when I say my prayer, because I
don't do it at night, I do it in the morning.
I fall asleep and forget watching Saving and Son. You
know what I mean, all night and I'm gone. But

(34:21):
when I when I pray, I pray for my family.
I pray for my friends. You know what I mean,
Keep us healthy, keep us safe, if you know, be sick, curious.
You know what I mean, I never ask him for
no money. I never ask him for no opportunity. I
never just I'll handle the rest. Just keep us safe,
keep us healthy, and I'll go out. I'll come out.

(34:43):
I'll go out there and open the door and say,
what's up world, what you got to got to off?
What's what's going on today? And then navigate through it
and tackle it? You know what I mean. Like I'm blessed,
you know what I mean. So a championship, you know
what I mean. I'm top seventy five all time. Not
many players played this game, man, millions and millions and millions.

(35:03):
I would said that I was told that I wasn't
even I was too small. I couldn't make it. You
can't make it in this type of game. And you know,
and I'm a Hall of Famer, you know what I mean.
All start scoring champion, you know what I mean. Like,
I'm just not a champion, you know what I mean,
I'm not. We came up short to a juggernaut Kobe

(35:24):
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neill in their prime. You understand, Like
I'm I'm cool with that, you know what I mean.
Now I get an opportunity I'm still here. I get
the root for That's why I want certain people that
haven't won a championship to win one. I want to
I want them to feel, you know how, I never
got the opportunity to feel. So when people talk about

(35:45):
who you want to win this year, I want to
see the guys win that haven't done it before. Gotcha,
you know what I mean.

Speaker 1 (35:51):
You would do things that nobody evident.

Speaker 5 (35:54):
If you did, you would go so viral these days.
You had your mother bring your head at the game.

Speaker 2 (35:59):
I was not my mom, the it was her sister.
Think it was Mamy.

Speaker 5 (36:03):
Okay, all right, So that was just what it wasn't
no time before I was rushing.

Speaker 2 (36:08):
List. First of all, you already know Jess, and I
know you might have. You might not have joked about it,
but you you probably joked about it to your home
girls or your homeboys or whatever. Because I ain't never
had my head always been long up here. I ain't
never had no hang time. I ain't never I mean never,

(36:30):
you know what I mean? And you know if you
don't put rubber bands in my joint, then they would
come out. So we were actually rushing. I used to.
I used to get to the game so late, you know,
because I used to leave so late. With the traffic
going to the game, I used to always get called
into it. And then I used to always had to
ride on thee so playing it was like first quarter

(36:55):
and I felt, you know, it was coming out. My
aunt was stands all like yo, she came and.

Speaker 1 (37:02):
Just fix it up.

Speaker 5 (37:04):
I mean it was simple as that that that photo
is like so loved and cherished now, But when it
happened at the time, did you feel like people like
loved and.

Speaker 6 (37:14):
Cherish the moment? And how did you handle how people
would come for your family because you are such a
family person.

Speaker 2 (37:23):
Damn, that's a good question. I don't want to say
I didn't. I didn't care, but it was like, what
you're gonna do, Like there's nothing you can you can't
I'm not gonna change I couldn't change what people think about.

(37:45):
But this book not gonna change what people think. This documentary.
Motherfucker don't like you. They don't like you. They hate you.
They hate you. They don't find some reason, you know,
they don't find some reason to to not like you.
That's what you deal with. And it's like I had
to learn that early, like you know what I mean,
like like for real, like everybody not gonna love you,

(38:09):
you know what I mean. You just concentrate on the
ones that do. You just appreciate the ones that that
that like you. You know what I mean. I mean,
they gonna say crazy shit, you know what I mean.
I heard somebody say Michael Jackson can't sing, you know,
like I mean, I've heard it. So when when you
ranking people and you know what i mean, ranking where

(38:32):
AI stand in this and and and you know what
I mean, like you're paying attention with the comments and
what people say, and man, listen, you're gonna be hurt
for a while. Like the comments even on Instagram, Like
I posted a picture of my daughter up there, and dude,
I'm looking at the comments for whatever reason, you know
what i mean, Like I need my ego stroke anymore,

(38:56):
you know what I mean? Look at man, fuck that
a uggly bitch. You know what I'm like. Damn, Like
I'm like, Okay, I don't do the comments no more,
fran Son. You know what I'm saying. It's like it's
like people going, you know, that's what that's what they do.
Because a lot of a lot of times people we

(39:17):
talked about that earlier, they wake up and they mad
at their own life. And you know, that's just that's
the world we the world we we live in. That's
the reason I can't be a commentary. Yeah. Yeah, Like
I'm not getting up there talking bad about nobody. Man.
I just I just that's just not something that because

(39:39):
if just think about it, if you're an NBA basketball player,
you never get in the game, everybody think you are
bum Put them in again, how you get there first
of all? Right, and then put them on the court,
you know what I mean, with anybody else. Put them
in the y m c A. Put them on the court,
on the college court, you know what I mean, high
school whatever it looked like Michael Jordan out there, you

(40:00):
know what I mean. And I just respect everybody that
made it because I know what I actually went through,
you know what I mean. I went through a lot
to get there, Like I ended up being the first
pick in the draft, and a couple of years ago
I was getting released from from jail, you know what
I'm saying. So I don't know, I just I just

(40:21):
I just respect people that that that want to do
something and don't let nobody stop them trying to do it.

Speaker 3 (40:29):
Also that I've seen an interview you gave up drinking
six months ago that point where you said it.

Speaker 2 (40:35):
Was it was I'll be lying if I would say
it just just stopped the brother. You know what I mean.
It was it was situations. You know what I mean.
I you know, where is my ship at? You know
what I mean, Like I know I put it here.
You know what I mean. It's the same thing having
certain guys around you. Everybody when when when they your people,

(40:56):
your people know when you're drunk, y know, just chill man,
just yeah, somew more glasses. Damn man, Hey, yo, man,
fucked up right now? Man, God, damn, I need you
to you know what I'm saying. Man, My this is
going on. That going on. Man. I need you waited
till I get this in because let me just talk

(41:17):
about when I get nice man, will give you the
shirt up. I went to sleep glass nine twenty five
thousand on me, you know, but I got twelve hundred.
What my sniggers, what my man? You gave such and

(41:38):
such your your your your little sniggers. You gave your sister,
your your uh your uh, your your first cope. You
you know what I mean, like and I mean, that's
just that's just small ship compared to the real you
know what I mean. Not feeling well? You know what
I mean. I mean, I did all this and I

(41:59):
was having fun last night to wake up feeling like this,
you know what I mean. Then my responsibilities you you
know what I mean. You're missing flights and you know
what I mean, I mean, just a it's a pluthor
r of things. Man, you just drinking, you know what
I'm saying. Like I sat to evaluate him, like what
good does it do for me? You understand? Like you

(42:22):
I mean, you can you can have fun with your
own boys, your homegirls, you know what I mean, without that,
And I found out that that's something I you know,
got to get used to as well, you know what
I mean, because I don't like being around a bunch
of drunk people. And I ain't like we can't have
a conversation. Like I'm talking, I'm trying to get you
to understand something, but I'm talking to somebody drunk. You

(42:45):
know what I mean. You ain't trying to hear nothing
I'm talking about. We ain't we All conversations not gonna
matter until some other time, you know what I mean.

Speaker 4 (42:53):
And so Bron call you right now and he said, hey, man,
hennersy got this bag.

Speaker 2 (42:58):
God damn by no bag. I've been there and I
don't had it long. I don't experienced having millions and
losing like and I'm not talking about I've always been
a millionaire, you know what I mean. I'ma make millions regardless.
But for me, once I done hit the pinnacle. You know,
ten million a year is not enough for me, you

(43:19):
know what I mean, Like it is not enough. Like,
but at the same time, if I want the lottery,
if I hit one of them joints that went up
to a billion or something like that, the last thing
I would want is for anybody to know, you know
what I'm saying, Like, man, that's that's the last thing. Like, man,

(43:41):
you know what I mean. But like I wouldn't. I wouldn't.
I wouldn't say And I talked to God about it.
I asked them to help me be strong. I ain't
go to no AA or nothing like that. Like I
I was like, Okay, I'm not I'm not doing it.
And that's what it wasn't. The crazy thing about it
is I've been with her for fifteen, for thirty five

(44:03):
years and since I was fifteen. And it's crazy part
about it is she said when I told her I
was stopping that after that she prayed on it. And
she said that was the only time that she ever
prayed on it. Like I said it plenty times in
the past, and she said that was the only time
that she prayed on it. And I was authentic with it.

Speaker 4 (44:26):
Was there ever a time in your life where you
truly felt like a kid, because because when I read
your book, it feels like you never got the opportunity there.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
Well yeah, well yeah, I remember, Like I like you,
people talk all the time about, Man, I was it.
How tough was it? You know, growing up poor? You
know what I mean? Like it was the best, right,
you know what I mean? Like you know what I mean,
because everybody around me was it won't like everybody you know,
it was only until I got to high school and

(44:54):
I'm wearing like I had two what three pair of
pants and my and one of was my sister's, you
know what I mean. You know it was, it was
bad And I'm looking at it's called farmititing you know
where I'm from, You know what I mean? You see
the kids on farmiting, they come in their dressed like
they got the polo and the guests on. And you

(45:15):
know what I mean, I'm like, damn Ja Bows and
the dudes. It was that was competition for real, you
know what I mean. They come up with the act
legends and you know what I mean, Like it was,
it was. It was tough. But you know, before then,
it was like, man, you know what I'm saying, Like
all I wanted, all I wanted growing up was a

(45:37):
pair of Jordans. That's it. I ain't give a damn
I go to school. I haven't God, damn pampa on.
As long as I got you know what I'm saying,
Like it was, it was, it was, It was nothing
to me. I was a kid, man, I mean, I
was a guy. I didn't I had the childhood, man,
I don't. I don't have no excuses on anything that

(46:01):
happened in my life. I don't have no one to blame.
I don't have I don't, man, I don't. When when
things don't go right, you know what I mean, When
when you ask somebody to do something for you, you
know what I mean, they don't do it? How mad
can you get with them, but I'm not doing it.
Do it yourself, you know what I mean, or don't
don't don't put that on them. You know what I'm saying,

(46:22):
Like I just I just I concentrate so much, like
we just you just heard me going about the seventh
soning like and my my girls say, like, how do
you watch this every day? You know what I'm saying,
how do you watch good times every day? Like I love,
I love my gangster ship like I love you know

(46:44):
all of that, you know what I mean. But I
just like to like and I and I. It ain't
that bad. You ain't you know, obviously dead, that's one thing,
But you ain't in jail, man. You ain't blind, you
ain't deaf, you know what I mean. You got all
your limbs. Like what you complaining about? You know, that's

(47:04):
the one thing I try to control in my life.
Just complaining about shit all the time. You know what
I mean, Like I mean it and it don't it
don't do no good. I mean for you to do it.

Speaker 4 (47:15):
There's not one excuse in that book. All of this
is accountability throughout the whole.

Speaker 2 (47:21):
I ain't making none, man. And then because that's the
easy way for somebody to look up to Alan Norblinson
have to have a cop out, you know what I mean,
easy way, you know what I mean, complaining about something,
man do it. And I hate when people think that
like that it's arrogant and that's cow. I've always been confident.

(47:41):
I ain't. I mean, I've never been arrogant. I've never
been cocky, just confident, you know what I mean. And
the one thing about like just just people just it
bothered me that you don't think that this is your world,
This is your world. It don't mean you're not being arrogant,

(48:02):
You're not being selfish thinking, you know what I mean,
Like you're the only one that matter in the world,
you know what I mean. But it's yours. This is
your life. Everything happens, you know, you the one you
ain't going nowhere. You might see everybody go before you,
you know what I mean. It's gonna hurt when people
go or whatever. But this is this is the one
shot that you got, you know what I mean, to

(48:23):
be happy to make these decisions and live with them,
you know what I mean. You concentrate on making mistakes
and hopefully you don't make the same mistake twice and
and live your live your life. Man, you got one
shot at this. Man. Ain't nothing wrong with being you, Man,
Ain't nothing wrong with it. Man, you can't be everybody else.

(48:44):
You can't. You know what I mean. You can't worry
about worry about what you can control. Man, You know
what I mean? Like I want some money. I want
to be the richest man in the world. I want
all the money. You know what I mean?

Speaker 4 (48:56):
Yes, you know how you missed that on some money?
Not registering AI how much time with.

Speaker 2 (49:07):
I got? I got the real guy? But register the sleeve,
you know what I mean? Like like like if I
get that copy written, like the sleeve, man, everybody with man,
people playing golf wearing the sleep. I seen R Kelly
had sleeve on. So what Kelly fell off the stage?

(49:30):
You know what I mean? The man got a sleeve
on in the video, yo, Man, like du like the
Steve is it's part of people, Like it's this it's
a swag. I'm wearing it. Like the whole reason I'm
wearing it because I'm hurt, you know what I mean.
Like it's a it's a it's a it's a lot
of opportunities that that were there that I passed up on.

(49:53):
But like I don't look at it like that. I
think now what like now where you're going at? Now?
What you're gonna do? You know what I mean? Like
every time God opened my eyes, I'm just you know,
I'm just trying to think positive. But life be life.
Like you know, you get a phone call, you know, hey, man,
like like, yo, I need you to do this. Bro,

(50:15):
you're asking me for this, you know what I mean?
Thousands of dollars. Christmas is a couple of days away.
Like why you ain't ask me this? You know what
I mean? Man, I'm asking you. You know, can you
do that? All right? I'm gonna do it for you,
you know what I mean. I ain't saying you know,
and all the people that I'm talking about, they certain

(50:36):
people are not gonna get upset because they know I'm
not talking about it, you know what I mean. But
you know, like like dude, you know I say, Yo,
I'm gonna do it. I take care of that, you
know what I mean. You're my man, I take care
of that. You know what I mean. I said, But
I'm gonna do it with my card, put it on
my car, so send me the information. Don't like that.
I'm gonna do it on my car. Oh no, no, no,

(50:57):
I need cash, man, I need cash. What was doing Megas?
It's gonna be taken care of Vegas.

Speaker 1 (51:03):
Can't be choosing it didn't take care difference than it's
a lie.

Speaker 2 (51:06):
Then I got called a clown and no, yeah, crazy,
like I'm talking about I've been and I've been. This
dude was my homeboy since I was like thirty. I
mean like it's been thirty thirty eight years man, and
been homeboys.

Speaker 1 (51:21):
You went above and beyond my brother, because anybody.

Speaker 5 (51:24):
Ever tried to like come to you and say, look,
look my bad. I was tripping like back then. I
kept asking and acting and accent and you were doing
and I just I took advantage for you as anybody
ever come to you to take accountability one person.

Speaker 2 (51:38):
You are incredible because it just happened. It just happened.
And my man was telling me that the same thing
you just said. He told my man that my man
told me and it was like went on death is
And I was like, man, yes, I heard him say
that before. And he keep doing it. You know what
I mean, Like you keep doing it? You know what

(52:00):
I mean, like the hardest, the hardest part, Like the
hardest part is when it's a homeboy or homegirl and
you want to cut them off because of how they
treat you, not because of how you treat them. You know,
they think you're treating bad, treating them bad because you
implemented that word no in your vocabulary. But the hardest

(52:21):
thing is when it's somebody that you love. The hardest
thing is questioning yourself, like, damn, am I wrong for this?
Am I going too far? You know what I mean?
Like you always try to look at yourself and feel
like if you could have did something wrong, I mean,

(52:41):
if you I'm sorry, if you could have did something right,
you know what I mean?

Speaker 1 (52:45):
Not wrong boundaries?

Speaker 6 (52:46):
My brother, I got a question for you. You talked
about your wife to wanna praying over. You decided not
to drink anymore as a husband. What have you discovered now?

Speaker 2 (52:57):
Boyfriend?

Speaker 6 (53:00):
Boyfriend?

Speaker 4 (53:01):
I mean, we got divorce, so you married the boys
and y'all got right back together like six months later
or something.

Speaker 2 (53:09):
I mean, I want to do I want this point
to be made because you think I'm who I am
and I was out of control. I was out of control.
And this threat was there for years, for years and

(53:30):
years and years and years and years, and it's like
the boy cried wolf, like whatever, I heard that before,
you know what I mean. And then it was like
she got to the point where like, yo, I gotta
show this motherfucker. I gotta do something to show him
I'm serious. And that's what happened. You in that courtroom

(53:51):
and you're looking over there and you see number one
right there, and you're looking down at that paper and
them tears hitting that that page and they don't say,
you know, I've been Georgetown versus Georgetown and it's been
a scrimmage or six's versus sixes, and you're looking at
the stat sheet whatever, I'm looking at Iverson versus Iverson,

(54:12):
you know what I mean, And like, yo, shit is real,
you know what I mean? Like, and did you wear suit? Look?
I really was defiant then, you know what I mean,
Like you got me in here, you know what I mean.
And I had a judge and judge was vicious, like
I couldn't do nothing right.

Speaker 6 (54:34):
Even in that moment you were defined. Yeah, I'm no, no,
it is your interview. I was just gonna say, even
in that moment, you were defined, and I guess upset
even though you knew, because you said you knew you
were out of control. But so like in that moment,
why are you defining upset if she's just doing what
she thinks is going to help, I guess, to get
you to a better spot for her.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
I was selfishly thinking about my demid because I know
in my heart and in my mind that I can't
live with our You know what I'm saying, like I
know it, like I know it. I took, I took

(55:14):
her love for me for granted, you know what I mean,
Like as far as she loving me so much that
I felt, like you know that she would never she
would never go go nowhere like this is all I've known.
This is the only love that I've ever known, as
far as like, I've never loved someone like this in
my life, you know what I mean? Then, a lot

(55:36):
of times, you know, all women would say, or even guys,
you know, anybody that's you know, logical about anything, how
you love her so much and you do the things?
And I don't have an answer.

Speaker 1 (55:48):
We never do though, as men, we never do. We
don't know why we do the dumb.

Speaker 6 (55:52):
Shit we do so how has not drinking and you know,
it seems like you're, you know, your focus is different
in this time of your life. How has that made
you go As we discover each other in a relationship.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
Oh yeah, I'm I'm I'm uh, I'm Claire Huxtable. I'm
in Cliff. I'm Cliff Huxortable. Now like i'm I'm I'm
I kind of get a feeling like I'm the guy
like I felt always felt like, you know, I was
the guy she always wanted you know what I mean,

(56:21):
wanted to be, you know, wanted me to be. But
I really feel like that guy now, Like I feel
like it's not the Huxtables around there obviously, but like
she loved you know this me, you know, because you
always getting this me. It's hard to take advantage of

(56:42):
somebody that can see ship clear as hell, you know
what I mean, opposed to being nonchalant about everything, you
know what I mean, Like it's you know, my homeboys
says a different Chuck. Now, you know what I mean.
I see, I see what's going on, you know what
I mean. All stuff that I used to, you know,
not pay attention to, I'm paying attention to it now.

(57:05):
You know what I mean, And I just think, you know,
by me making this decision, it's so much better for
not just myself, everybody around me. I can help better.
My advice is better, you know what I mean. Like
I'm a better friend now, I'm a better family member.
You know this shit is clear, you know what I'm saying.

(57:26):
Like I promise you I'm the smartest man in the
world because I know him not you know what I mean,
I know him not like, but I know how if
it's a certain feel of you know how we need
some help, help, and you know what I mean, opposed
to just just doing it all way and thinking we know, no, man,

(57:46):
we gotta go to we gotta go to this person,
We gotta go to that person. We gotta do it
this way, we gotta do it that way, you know
what I mean. Put your ego aside. Man, We're trying
to get it done. We need to get it done.
But we're gonna get it done right. And it's just
an everlution of me. It took long, you know what
I mean, But I just think about it, like, Yo,
you embarrassed. You know, first, it was embarrassing that you know,

(58:07):
talking about that seen the ship went viral yesterday and
you embarrassed, you know, with the whole thing. But it's like, damn, bro,
that's another thing that you know, by you being you
and being comfortable in your own skin, it's gonna help
somebody else. Somebody might make that decision.

Speaker 1 (58:25):
Right somebody's trying to be sober right now.

Speaker 4 (58:26):
You know what I'm saying that whatever time, because I
didn't get it from the book where anybody recommended therapy
to you, because it was clear you was my girl.

Speaker 1 (58:34):
Okay, like you need some help, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (58:37):
You don't remember what was? Are you coming to a
get up that ship? You said last month?

Speaker 1 (58:44):
You know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (58:46):
Just starting ship, you know what I mean? And then
she used to be like you ran you running around
with all these dudes all day long and y'all drinking
and have a ball, and you come in here fucking
with me. I'm talking about where your piece is at? Man,
You know what I mean, because you going but women
know you leave that house. Man, we tackling the world

(59:08):
like you. It's going down. It's hard for me, like
I said, to go to the grocery store, to go
to Target, Walmart. I gotta be all and irvus and
every day I walk in the house, and one thing
about it, everybody, everybody out there, if you think about it,
somebody gonna see you and feel like this is the
last opportunity that I'm ever gonna get to see him
and this is my moment. That's what you know what

(59:29):
I mean? When they see oh shit, it's like and
then you you somewhere and you're paying for something, and
then you finish and you turn around and you see
so many people. You see cameras and then you see
and they do the ship sho like like getting ready
to jump rope. You see everybody, like everybody everybody time,

(59:51):
you know what I mean. And it's like it's like
it's like, bro, you want to be you want to
like you wanna it's so much you go out when
you come in the crib man to be you know
what I'm saying, Like fall on, you know, on the
couch and and and you have made it through the storm,
you know what I mean. Because like my fans, like
they they got real love man, you know what I mean.

(01:00:15):
But some of them, when you can you can distinguish
a fan, a truth fan, and just somebody that you know,
give a damn about how nice you was on the court,
because a truth fan, give a fuck about you. You
know what I mean, Like you feed them feeding my daughter?
You know what I mean. I'm in the restaurant and
stick a piece of paper and paying them. Sign this

(01:00:36):
right here, Ai, you know what I mean. Hold on baby,
let me and this and I you know I love women,
you know what I mean to death. I love all
my fans, but women fans are they don't like taking no.
You know what I mean, Dude, tell you know all
the time. But me somebody you don't know, tell you
know you go crazy in a minute. I'm feeding my
daughter right now. Now, Well fuck you there in Ai.

(01:00:57):
Kobe Bryant better than you anyway. Tell me I'm gonna
burn these shoes I bought. I brought your shoes. I
bought your jersey. I'm like, I ain't say no. I
just said, let me finish my daughter, you know what
I mean. Like it's it's it's just it's crazy. I
remember I was at David Buses with the kids. I'm
on the phone talking to my mom and a lady
walked up to me and she was like, hey, let

(01:01:19):
me talk to you iself. Hold on, man, I'm talking
to my mom on the phone right now. What's your
mom more important than your fans? Yeah? I was like yo,
I was like yo, I was looking let me just
get away from you. You know what I mean. But
that's like, you know, all in the nutshell man being
a celebrity. Man, you say that because people think about

(01:01:42):
the money and the fame and the talent or whatever.
Man you say you want this life and whatever. Man,
you really man, A lot of people, if they would meet,
would have been jumped off a building and put a
pistol to their head and blew it off.

Speaker 5 (01:01:55):
By Now, that's the crazy thing. Little John said that
same thing when we had him. He said, you gotta
be built, you gotta have tough skin. This is not
an easy industry to be in. But your influence was
crazy because I'm telling you, Allen evinceins, I was getting
them and I was getting bitches and I wasn't even gay.

Speaker 2 (01:02:10):
In middle school.

Speaker 5 (01:02:10):
I would come get my hand braided. And that's good,
you told me hand on hang time. I didn't either,
put the bitches ain't no, because I had the absence.

Speaker 6 (01:02:16):
Yeah, so your time in Philly, right, I mean influencing
impacts and everything you did. But Philly embraced you so
much and the person you aren't meeting you I get
it now, but you know, Philly don't embrace everybody. What
was your time like there? Just in like what were
you doing? I guess to lean into that or like

(01:02:37):
I don't know, like did you feel the okay? They
love me here like when you walk out onto the
streets and not at first because people, you know, Philly
is tough.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
The toughest and they called it his brotherly love. That's
about it. My relationship, not in the beginning, but I
think I have I would I would say Michael Jordan
and uh Chicago, Steph and a state who else you

(01:03:06):
know said the Bay Area now probably Shay in Oklahoma City.
I think I have the best relationship with a fan base,
I think in sports history, you know what I mean,
Like that's that's crazy. And Kobel Kobe, you know what
I mean. They watched me grow up. I was twenty

(01:03:30):
one years old when I got there, Like they watched me,
you know, go through my ups and downs. But I
played every game like it was my last. And if
you know Philadelphia, that's all they really want like I could.
I was telling Steve yesterday, like I could be out there,
I can go oh for Winfrey from the field, you
know what I mean. But they knew that AI played

(01:03:52):
as hard as he could, you know what I mean.
I could look in the mirror after the game every
game I played, hurt, sick, whatever, and look at the mirror,
and I know I felt bad, you know, I felt good.
I upset about not playing well, but I knew that
I played that game like it was my last. People
in Philadelphia love that, and all relationship has been that,
you know what I mean. Since I've been retired with

(01:04:14):
fifteen years now, and the relationship is still the same.
You walk in the building, it's the same feeling. And
then the people in Philadelphia are used to me outside
of being in that arena, barbershops and everywhere. Applebee's. Well,

(01:04:35):
I was a.

Speaker 6 (01:04:36):
Little younger, so I came a little bit after.

Speaker 2 (01:04:37):
You weren't there.

Speaker 6 (01:04:38):
Weren't in Fridays when I was there. But yeah, Club
Fridays was a thing.

Speaker 2 (01:04:41):
It became the third largest Fridays in the country, you
know what I mean, Like it was really a club,
you know what I mean. Line, they started checking out
ideas you had to get you had to have reservations
and you know what I mean, Like it was it
was crazy, you know what I mean. Philly. I love Philadelphia.
I mean I love it, you know what I mean.

(01:05:02):
But it's just just like Virginia. I can't never like
live there, you know what I mean. Like when I retired,
I went to Florida, like trying to get away from everything.
Then it's just meet her and the kids and no family,
no friends, like nah, you know what I mean. So
I moved in Charlotte. It's close to Virginia, but you know,
I can never go live there again. But people have

(01:05:22):
worried of me the damn death, you know what I mean.
Like we're close. My mom could drive or our flight.

Speaker 1 (01:05:28):
Right it saying you gotta wrap I do.

Speaker 4 (01:05:31):
Got one last question, man, you changed the entire culture
of basketball, but to me, you change black culture. You
also change hip hop culture from your fashion to your
attitude to just your authenticity.

Speaker 1 (01:05:42):
When you see how the NBA in the.

Speaker 4 (01:05:44):
World embraces individuality, Now, do you feel celebrated or do
you still feel misunderstood?

Speaker 2 (01:05:53):
Nah, it's I get the opportunity, Like this is opportunity
for me, you know what I mean, Like all of
those years you wanted to you know, you wanted this.
Oh man, you got me wrong, you know what I mean.
Talk about it to your family and your friends. Man,

(01:06:13):
I'm misunderstood. Man, they don't They ain't getting it, you
know what I mean. It ain't like that. And then
this platform and then all the other big platforms, you know,
just you guys giving me an opportunity to come up
here and ask me shit that I want to answer
that that I want the world to know, you know
what I mean. I want them to know that it
ain't like that. It's like this, you know what I mean.

(01:06:35):
Then you're hearing it from someone else, you know what
I mean, someone else telling who Alan Iverson is. Then
just to have the opportunity to do it in the
excitement about it is the long wait because now I
finally get a chance to Man, you was wrong. You
had me fucked up like that ain't what it is,

(01:06:55):
you know what I mean? And going through your career,
you can't explain to everybody every situation it don't, you
know what I mean. And this book took years, you
know what I mean. The documentary took years to do
and man, I just I'm just happy that I get
an opportunity to to tell my story or write my
story and and help and help and help somebody, you

(01:07:19):
know what I mean. Just like you know Michael Jordan
did for me, you know what I mean, Like he
If it wasn't for no Michael Jordan, it would not
be the Allen Iverson and everybody in the world. Know, Like,
I literally like he gave me the vision. Man Like,
I'm like, I want to be like him, you know
what I mean. That's who I want to be. Him

(01:07:40):
and Michael Michael Jackson. I want all the dudes to
love me, you know what I mean. I want all
the girls to love me, you know what I mean.
I want to put that in one you know what
I'm saying. And I want to be you know, uh,
not just a basketball player, but just big all the way.
And I didn't I didn't get this vision until until
I started to take care of what I had to

(01:08:02):
do on the basketball court and then becoming a cultural icon,
you know what I mean. Okay, all these rappers, all
these people in the world that want to just express
themselves the way they want to express themselves. Now they
get an opportunity. Man, he can do it. Man, Ain't
nothing wrong with what I'm doing, regardless of high look.
Regardless high look. Everybody talk about that that runway walking

(01:08:25):
into the game. I'm watching it, you know what I mean.
I don't like everything up there, but I just love
their confidence of walking in there, like, yeah, I'm doing
it today, you know what I mean, And like just
my story. All I want is for people to get
out of it. Man, It's all right to be you.

(01:08:46):
It's all right, you know what I mean. It's things
that's gonna happen in your life and it's gonna be tough,
you know what I mean. But that's when you're gonna
lean on number one. You're gonna lean on him, gonna
lean on God. You don't. You don't ask them, uh
any you don't question him at all, you know what
I mean. Whatever happened happened, I ain't. My grandma told

(01:09:08):
me when I went to jail, that bowling alley thing.
I said, Now, why are they doing this to me?
If they know I didn't do what they said? I
did question, never questioned God, and I've never done it
since then, you know what I mean? Whatever he do?
You know what I mean. I'm cool with it, you
know what I mean. He driving this car and I'm
gonna just sitting there, ride shotgun wherever he take me.

(01:09:29):
That's where I'm going, and I'm gonna live with the results.
So that's that's the only thing I want. I just think, man, live, man, laugh,
love man. We love you brother, you out right now.
I got God.

Speaker 1 (01:09:54):
It's the Breakfast Club.

Speaker 3 (01:09:55):
Good morning, every day, up waking.

Speaker 1 (01:10:00):
The Breakfast Club. You're finished for yar dumb