On growing up too fast:
"Oh man...I think I've been grown up. Man, I was 18 years old in jail.
I was 17 years old and a minor and having to worry about newspapers
writing different negative things about me, all on the front page, my name-my
full name-and I'm a minor. I had to deal with that, I had to deal with goin'
to jail, and comin' out, and going to school and havin' to graduate over a summer.
And then go right to college and handle all that. I mean, I grew up fast".
On his Rookie season:
"It's been fun. A lot of fun. Even with the losses. You know, that hurts. It's
been fun. Every game. Because I'm here, in the NBA. That's all that matters.
It's a dream come true for me".
On the way he dresses and being "too black" for the NBA:
"We all dress hip-hop. Like Steph. We dress hip-hop, we love hip-hop; I mean,
that's just our generation right now. We love bein' flashy, have flashy jewelry-my
friends got jewelry, you know, they wear baggy pants,
[have] nice cars. I mean, that's everything you strive for in life, for me.
It's all I wanted to be able to do, to be able to take care of my mom and
my little sisters and my family".
On his posse:
" I didn't even know I had a posse. I thought they were just my friends."
On his grandmother passing:
" My grandmother passing was the worst thing that ever happened to
me. My grandmother was the one who told me I could be anything I
wanted to be."
On his expectations:
"I expect to win. I don't think we are going to come in and it's going to take
time for us to start winning. I think the attitude that Coach Davis has and the rest
of the staff has is that they want to win. As long as the guys on the team understand
that, we can get a lot of things done."
On growing up in a bad area and spending time in jail:
"It's all about always believing, I've seen the bad side of life and I survived.
Now, I plan to enjoy the good side. And I don't plan to look back. My past
has taught me a lot, and I'm not ashamed of it, it taught me how quickly things
can be taken away from you. It taught me how important it is to believe in yourself
even if others turn their back on you. It wasn't easy waking up in a cell. But it would've
been easier to quit. I didn't do that. I fought through the hard times."
On being chosen first in the draft:
"I felt all along that I was the best player in the draft. People may have
thought (Philadelphia) should have chosen someone else, but they'll never
convince me of anything different.I truly feel that I deserve to be where I am
right now. I knew that good things would happen to me in life if I kept
believing. Now I'll show the world that I deserve that chance."
About 1997-98 season:
"The progress was good but the season was disappointing,I wish we could have made the trades earlier. We only started playing together after the break."
About his contract:
"I'm looking forward to signing and getting it over with," said Iverson. "I'd like to be a Sixer for a long time. I need that commitment."
About his goal:
"I think I've got a long way to go,I want to be the best point guard in this league.
After scoring 46 p in San Antonio but still losing:
"It would have been better to have a one-point performance and win than having a 40-point game and lose."
After winning the Bulls in 97-98:
"I was a Bulls fan from the time they were terrible, even when they first got Michael,when they first won titles it was a joy for me."
Iverson after winning the pacers first time in his career:
"It was real special."
After being benched for the final 20 minutes of Philadelphia's 104-91 loss to Detroit:
"If I'm hurting this team, I need to get out of here."
After his first playoff game:
"I am still excited about this game,I feel like I could still play another 48 minutes. The crowd was against us and it was just great playing in that kind of atmosphere. This was my first one, and I would love to play in a lot more."
About scoring 40 points:
"When I score 40 points, we've lost."
"Every time I score 40, the same thing happens. So I would rather keep it under 40"
About his defense:
"I'm trying as hard as I can to get better on defense."
About NBA:
"In this league, you can't play basketball on paper."
About scoring 50 in his rookie season:
"I played that game like it was my last when I was a rookie and scored 50."
After his first All-Star game:
"It was just a great experience for me."
Iverson about others:
About referees:
"It's frustrating to play like that,we're trying to win games and it is tough when the referees are like that. ... It has been that way all year."
About Rod Strickland:
"He's my favorite point guard in the whole league."
About Cleveland crowd:
"I love the fans here, they make me play even harder than usual here."
About Eric Snow:
"It's hard for me to ever want to play point guard again if this guy's on my team, because I know I know I'm not a better point guard than him."
About Travis Best:
"He's short."
About the Sixers:
"There are teams with more talent, but nobody has more heart."
About Jason Williams:
"I can't judge him entirely by one game, and he didn't have a bad game. But he probably didn't play the way he wanted to play."
About Dennis Rodman:
"It's a joke if you think he's out there getting in my head,I won't let anybody like that get me out of my game. He's going to try to provoke you into doing something."
ALL-STAR GAME 2001
Other people about Iverson:
Coach Dave Cowens:
"Iverson is just so unbelievable,he's so quick and athletic."
Coach Johnny Davis:
"Iverson is able to penetrate the defense almost at will. He has to transfer that quickness to the defensive end and not gamble as much."
Coach Chuck Daly:
"He is so quick and always bouncing around."
"That little guy is something else."
Coach Larry Bird:
"He's so quick and athletic, and when he gets it going he's extra tough."
"He's unselfish and he will make the play. He looks to score if he has the chance, but if there is another play, he will make it."
Coach Mike Fratello:
"He is good every night."
Coach Phil Jackson:
"Michael tried to do it all by himself, too, but then he learned that to win, he had to get everybody involved. Then we started winning championships."
Nick Van Exel:
"He has the best cross-over move in the league."
Michael Cage:
"I thought Damon Stoudamire was quick, but wait until you see this kid get the ball up the court."
Rik Smits:
"(Iverson) is playing with a lot of confidence."
Mitch Richmond:
"He's a young guy and he is full of energy."
Keith Van Horn:
"They win a lot of games with him scoring a lot and I think that is their game plan going in, because he is such a great scorer."
Vince Carter:
"Not many people can stop him."
Aaron McKie:
"He's fun to watch."
Bob Sura:
"I'd rather get teeth pulled."
Scottie Pippen:
"Allen Iverson is a real tough challenge for us because he can do much with his quickness." -allen i3 off court
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