Best of Full Interview: Allen Iverson On 'Misunderstood,' NBA Career & Relationships Challenges, Not Winning a Ring +More

Best of 2025- Best Sellers of 2025 - Allen Iverson On 'Misunderstood,' NBA Career & Relationships Challenges, Not Winning a Ring. Recorded 2025. 

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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 n V. 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 (00:20):
Ai Alan Chuck whatever you want to call him, Mster
seven five seven.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
He's in the building.

Speaker 3 (00:25):
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
sound we got me because I don't know where it's
gonna go. But look, man, friends, all right, so I

(00:52):
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,

(01:18):
It's hard, you 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,

(01:38):
or you got the same 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

(02:00):
I first got 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

(02:21):
and it's a lot, you know what I mean. So
you want to have so many people around you that
you love me and 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

(02:42):
me because with my athletic 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, I'm a teen, eighteen, twenty twenty five years old,

(03:02):
Guys like, oh shit, there you go. You know that's
the one right there, 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

(03:24):
goes without saying. And I've never had a person you
know my nickname obviously, you know my name, Chuck. You know,
I 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

(03:45):
know I'm meet you know what I mean. That's one
of 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

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

Speaker 1 (04:13):
Thing 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 once know and and

(04:40):
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, pay that over the years,

(05:01):
child support. You know what I mean? You know, pay
your mom rent. You know this, that lawyer lay. 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. You know what I mean, Like I don't

(05:23):
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
saying this, yo, man, what's up with your man? They are?

(05:45):
You know, what's up with a man? Fuck that nigga?

Speaker 4 (05:47):
Dangn You know what I mean, Like after reading your book,
nobody's your question.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
You're loyal?

Speaker 1 (05:50):
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 what I say. Dependingum 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, and 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 ope d 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 what 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 why my life is not
what it is?

Speaker 3 (08:40):
And do you ever have impasta syndrome? And the reason
I asked if you talk about all that?

Speaker 2 (08:45):
Right?

Speaker 3 (08:46):
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 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
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? With

(09:28):
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 escape room. Okay, but I had

(09:53):
no idea that 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,
bold 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 (10:15):
To get But you know, I'm thinking, like the last
place I want to be from my memory right in
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

(10:45):
bunch of leeches around you. There's 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 home boys, 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. You know, it's like me. The perfect example

(11:14):
is like me being on twenty and 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, of the court. You know he's leading

(11:35):
the league and stills, yeah after year, but you got
to gamble and when he gambled. The ken Bay is
there to make sure I'm good. Leo 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 a bunch of dogs, you know what I mean.

(11:56):
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 what I have to do, you know what I mean.
This is what I have to do, you know. And

(12:18):
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,
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. It wasn't.

Speaker 4 (12:44):
You're 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
cru 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, mass 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. I'm 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

(13:55):
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 up, 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 a long way with me. But you

(14:42):
can 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 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):
Now you talk about your BC plan, right, you see
what Michael Vick's doing with Norfolk State. Absolutely have you
ever thought about coaching?

Speaker 1 (16:38):
No?

Speaker 2 (16:38):
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 could 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.

Speaker 1 (17:31):
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 smart, dude, sometimes a lot. This is one of
my favorite shows. So I you know, I see the
good days a bad day. I watched Dame come up here.
It's for real, it gets real. I think this. I

(18:14):
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 nigh
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 hairs. 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 them. 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 you know, if
I sit you down and give you structure, 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

(20:44):
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 your swama. 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.

(21:06):
You can't prepare for that, brow.

Speaker 3 (21:07):
How was that pressure though? Because 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 air brushed my tattoos
off or you want me but you you know, you
want some of me. I took the ass with it

(21:49):
for it. 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? Like before that, 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.

(22:10):
The only time I put in them in the courtroom.
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.

(22:30):
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 fetish, me and 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,

(22:50):
you're gonna get the jewelry, like park, you know what
I mean. You're 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
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 the meay
was like nah, because it was all right when I

(23:11):
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, 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

(23:33):
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
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 when 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 what 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.

Speaker 2 (25:07):
I'm not 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,

(25:28):
you know what I mean, soaking wet, and the suit
was balled up in the corner. When they came and
got me out of there, I had on my boxes,
you know what I mean. So I don't know what.
Do you regret anything?

Speaker 1 (25:40):
Nah?

Speaker 2 (25:40):
Because I wouldn't be who 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 down of one way street,
you're gonna get on the right side of the road.
You see the tract, the trailer coming, you know it's coming,
you know what I mean. That prepared me to be

(26:04):
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 flowers. For that, you
know what I mean, for you got them all these personalities.
Why would everybody 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

(26:25):
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 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

(26:45):
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 in my life, all of these experience, even with
the book. Man, it's like I love like my girl

(27:08):
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?

Speaker 1 (27:14):
And I like practice press.

Speaker 2 (27:16):
No, just just what my friends, how people you know
what I mean, It's like why and I don't know,
you 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
you different you have a talent and you you're blessed

(27:39):
to be able to brush that stuff off. It's hard
for me now. My talent obviously is you know, 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 Rent, I'm embarrassed about uh, not

(28:00):
really embarrassed. But it wasn't smart for me to, you know,
because I remember, you know, people telling me Ai, 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

(28:20):
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.

Speaker 2 (28:31):
And you 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, uh, 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,

(28:52):
I would have died if 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.

(29:13):
Somebody might. You might save 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 what I mean.

(29:35):
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 weren't 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 paying,
I'm like, yo, man, I was the MVP last season,

(31:28):
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 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 he labeled you
a thugs. 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 look
at it. He's gonna kiss you on your forehead, like brother,
I love you like no, for real, I love you,
and he 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 Charlomann is like you was walking.
I was like, I was walking down the street and hey,
I pulled up and what's up? Hop out the car house?

Speaker 2 (32:24):
Your family gave me a hug, aful. Yeah, what you're
doing tonight?

Speaker 3 (32:28):
You you got, you got some of the city. 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
people heard.

Speaker 2 (32:38):
The people, 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 t's on. You know,
me being me is you know, the best thing in
the world of me. Yes, I wanted to be like Mike.

(32:58):
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 in Target on
the grocery store. You know what I mean. What you're
doing here? Man? Sho me like you security man? That
part of my life is I just man, I'm not

(33:40):
I'm 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.

Speaker 1 (33:56):
Because to us like that chap I got an in.

Speaker 2 (34:00):
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. I man 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. I'll go out

(34:43):
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. I would

(35:04):
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 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 who

(35:46):
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? You would do.

Speaker 5 (35:51):
Things that nobody evident. 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.
I 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):
Listen. 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 hangtime. 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 fixed it up.

Speaker 2 (37:04):
I mean it was simple as that.

Speaker 6 (37:07):
That photo is like so loved and cherished now, but
when it happened at the time, did you feel like
people like loved and 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 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. Like I mean,
I've heard it. So when when you ranking people and

(38:31):
you know what i mean, ranking where 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,

(38:53):
Like I need my ego stroke anymore, you know what
I mean. Look a man, fuck that little ugly bitch,
you know what I mean. I'm like, damn, Like I'm like, okay,
I don't do the comments no more, you know, francn
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

(39:15):
lot of a lot of times. People we 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 whorld 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

(39:36):
I just that's just not something that because if just
think about it, if you're an NBA basketball player and
you never get in the game and everybody think you're bumm,
put them in a game. 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

(39:57):
school whatever, it looked like Michael Jordan out there, you
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

(40:17):
I'm saying. So I don't know, I just I just
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 was it.

Speaker 2 (40:36):
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, your people know

(40:56):
when you're drunk, you know, just chill man, Just yeah,
somewo more glasses. Damn man, hey yo, Man, fucked up
right now? Man, God, damn, I need you. You know
what I'm saying. Man, My this is going on, that
going on. Man, I need you. I waited till you
get this in because let me just talk about when

(41:18):
I get nice, man will give you the shirt UPO.
I went to sleep lass nine twenty five thousand on me.
You know, man, I got twelve hundred what my sniggers
I want? My man, you gave such and such your

(41:39):
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 was having

(41:59):
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 of
of things. Man, you just drinking, you know what I'm saying,
Like I saw to evaluate him, like what good does
it do for me? You understand? Like you, I mean,

(42:23):
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,

(42:43):
but I'm talking to somebody drunk. You 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, and 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, you know what I mean. But like I wouldn't.

(43:43):
I wouldn't, I wouldn't sell. 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 years and since I was fifteen, And it's

(44:06):
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, hell 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 one one was my sister's, you know
what I mean? You know it was it was bad
and I'm looking at it's called Farmitton. 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 know

(45:15):
what I mean, I'm like, damn bowls 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

(45:35):
I wanted growing up was a pair of Jordan's. That's it.
I ain't give a damn I go to school. I
have a 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

(45:58):
on anything that 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

(46:19):
I mean? Or don't don't don't put that on them,
you know what I'm saying, Like I just I just
I concentrate so much, like we just you just heard
me going about the seven and something 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,

(46:42):
like I love you know all of that, you know
what I mean. But I just like like the 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?

(47:04):
You know, that's 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.

Speaker 2 (47:20):
Whole I ain't making none. Man. And then because that's
the easy way for somebody to look up to Alannrbinson
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 how 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 1 (48:56):
Yes, you know how you missed that on some money?
Not registering AI.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
How much time with I got? I got the real guy,
but register the sleeve you know what I mean? Like
like like if I get that copywriting like the sleeve, man,
everybody with man, people playing golf, wearing to sleep. I

(49:24):
seen r Kelly had sleeve on, said what Kelly fell
off the stage? You know what I mean? The man
got a sleeve on in the video, yo, Man, Like
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.

(49:44):
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.
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 going?

Speaker 4 (50:00):
Do?

Speaker 2 (50:00):
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. You're asking me
for this, you know what I mean? Thousands of dollars.
Christmas is a couple of days away. Like why you

(50:21):
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 say there you know. And all the people
that I'm talking about, they certain 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,

(50:43):
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, I need cash, man,
I need cash. What was doing me? It's gonna get
taken care of Vegas.

Speaker 1 (51:03):
Can't be choosy.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
It didn't take care.

Speaker 1 (51:05):
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. 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 acting 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.

Speaker 1 (51:37):
One person.

Speaker 2 (51:38):
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,

(51:58):
like you keep doing it, you know what 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 and 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 (52:46):
Wrong boundaries?

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

Speaker 2 (52:55):
What have you discovered that boyfriend?

Speaker 1 (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 looking at
the stat sheet whatever, I'm looking at Iverson versus Iverson, you.

Speaker 1 (54:13):
Know what I mean?

Speaker 2 (54:14):
And like, yo, shit is real, you know what I mean?

Speaker 1 (54:18):
Like, and did you as suit?

Speaker 2 (54:23):
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 or judge was vicious, like
I couldn't do nothing right.

Speaker 6 (54:34):
Even in that moment you were defined. Yeah, 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 without. You know what I'm saying, Like I know it,
like I know it. I took, I took her love

(55:15):
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 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 of times,

(55:36):
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 shit we do.

Speaker 6 (55:53):
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 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 Huxfortable 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 love 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 the 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.

Speaker 1 (58:23):
Somebody might make that decision, 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 Alan Irverson 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

(59:28):
is my moment. That's what you know what 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 shot like like getting ready to jump rope.
You see everybody, like everybody everybody time, you know what

(59:51):
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

(01:00:13):
got real love man, you know what I mean. 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

(01:00:33):
stick a piece of paper and paying them sign this
right here? AYI 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

(01:00:56):
right now. Now, Well fuck you there in Ai. 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 the lady walked up

(01:01:17):
to me and she was like, hey, let 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 yeo. 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,

(01:01:39):
you say that because people think about 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 were 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. Lord 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.

Speaker 2 (01:02:09):
Gay in middle school. I would come get my hand braided.
And that's good, you told me an on hang time.

Speaker 5 (01:02:14):
I didn't either, put the bitches ain't no, because I
had the absence.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
Yeah, so.

Speaker 6 (01:02:19):
Your time in Philly, right, I mean influencing impacts and
everything you did. But Philly embraced you so much and
the person you are 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 I don't know,
like did you feel the okay? They love me here

(01:02:40):
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 AA State. Who else? You know?

(01:03:07):
I 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.

Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
And Kobe Lak you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
They watched me grow up. I was twenty 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

(01:03:49):
what I mean. But they knew that AI played 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 ever 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,

(01:04:12):
you know what I mean. Since I've been retired with
fifteen years now, and the relationship is still the same.
You walk into 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. Applebe's. Well,

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

Speaker 6 (01:04:36):
Little younger, so I came a little bit after. You
weren't 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. Lines 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,
but close my mom could drive or our flight, right.

Speaker 1 (01:05:30):
You got to I do. Got one last question.

Speaker 4 (01:05:32):
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.
When you see how the NBA in the 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 just say, oh, man,
you got me wrong, you know what I mean, talk
about it to your family, your friends. Man, I'm misunderstood. Man,

(01:06:15):
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 it ain't like that. It's
like this, you know what I mean. Then you're hearing

(01:06:35):
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, you know what
I mean? And going through your career you can't explain

(01:06:58):
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 know what I mean,

(01:07:19):
Just like you know Michael Jordan did for me, you
know what I mean, like he If it wasn't for
no Michael Jordan, they 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 and Michael Michael Jackson.

(01:07:41):
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 do on the basketball

(01:08:03):
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 into the game. I'm

(01:08:25):
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. It's all right, you

(01:08:48):
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. You gonna lean on God.
You don't. They don't ask them, uh any You don't
question him at all, you know what I mean. Whatever
happened happened. I ain't never my grandma told me when

(01:09:08):
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. That's where I'm going,

(01:09:30):
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.

Speaker 1 (01:09:38):
We love you, brother, we love you.

Speaker 2 (01:09:43):
Out right now, just walk out. 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. We are finished for Young Dum