69 Allen Iverson Quotes And Sayings On Basketball, Practice, And Life

We're talking about practice??

Allen Iverson, aka "AI," was an American professional basketball player who is often regarded as one of the toughest players in NBA history.

At just 6 feet tall (debatably), AI was pound-for-pound one of the best players and scorers of all time.

Iverson's career began at Georgetown University where he played college basketball. In 1996, he was selected as the first overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Throughout his 14-year NBA career, Iverson achieved many accolades. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2001, and he led the league in scoring four times.

In the 2000-2001 season, he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. AI was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

Iverson's scoring ability was elite. His signature crossover dribble and fearless drives to the basket made him hard to stop.

Beyond his talent, Allen Iverson was known for his mental toughness, fearlessness, passion, and heart.

This collection of Allen Iverson quotes and sayings demonstrates the fire and dedication that he brought to the court night in and night out throughout his career.

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Inspirational Basketball Quotes By Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson had a love for the game of basketball and it showed in the way he played every night. He played with passion and like every game was his last.

1. "If you're struggling with your shooting, then do other things on the basketball court. Get steals, get assists, get rebounds- do anything on the court to help the team win."

2. "You honestly don't really feel it when the shots are going down. You don't ever get the goose bumps until the fans start to appreciate what you're doing."

3. "He's helped me do so much in my career, helped me be the player that I am. If there's no Larry Brown, then there's no MVP, Allen Iverson."

4. "Coach's voice will never leave my head as long as I live."

 

 

5. "The basket looked like an ocean, and I was just throwing rocks in."

6. "When you lose, there is a whole bunch of room for negativity and I don't feed into this stuff and I do not do any talking. I don't run my mouth."

7. "It was just the greatest feeling to see a kid with your shoes on."

8. "I want to thank coach Thompson... for saving my life. For giving me the opportunity."

9. "I don’t put pressure on myself. I just compete."

10. "I always wanted to be a Sixer... I always wanted to finish my career as a Sixer."

11. "Any one of my shoes that I had, you knew that, night in, night out, I gave my teammates and my fans everything that I had."

12. "It was a blessing just to play one NBA basketball game."

13. "I owe all of this to the guys I've played with and all the coaches that have helped me get to where I'm at right now. I'm honored to be here."

14. "Being an All-Star is everything."

15. "One of the things you have to learn is that you don’t have to have the ball all the time to be effective."

 

 

16. "When you get to that level, it’s not a matter of talent anymore – because all the players are so talented – it’s about preparation, about playing smart and making good decisions."

17. "I love you Philadelphia. I want to thank you for accepting me, and letting me be me and make this my home forever."

18. "I believe in my heart I’m the best player in the world. I’m just a scorer. I try to put the ball in the basket for my team. I’m just confident in my ability to play ball."

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Best Allen Iverson Quotes About Life

Allen Iverson wasn't always a perfect role model during his NBA career, but it's clear that he learned a lot from his journey.

Also, things weren't always easy for AI growing. There were a lot of ups and downs, but he didn't let any obstacles stop him from chasing his dreams. 

19. "I feel like they want us to dress a certain way. They're targeting guys who dress like me; guys who dress hip-hop. Just because you put a guy in a tuxedo doesn't mean he's a good guy. You can put a murderer in a suit, but he's still a murderer... It sends a bad message to kids."

20. "I had a lot of growing up to do. A lot of times, I learned the hard way."

21. "Being in a fishbowl, everybody looking at every move you make, talking about everything you do - it's just a hard life to live."

 

 

22. "You hit road blocks in life, but I'm living proof that you can overcome those road blocks and become what you want to become."

23. "Obviously, if I could go back and change anything, I would be a perfect man. And I know there's no perfect man."

24. "Life is short. Im gonna be happy with mine."

25. "Me and my family are straight. I am blessed. I am alive, man, and I am healthy, and that is the only thing that matters. Me and my family, everybody else, it really doesn't matter because why do you care about somebody talking negative about you if they don't know you?"

26. "I wish the media and people that work in media would realize sometimes - and I know it doesn't pay your bills - but sometimes just sit back and think, like, 'Man, what if this was my child? And somebody was doing this to them? And they had to go through it? If somebody bashed them like this?'"

27. "I think a lot of times, when people who get a chance to meet me and be around me, they understand that I'm not the person that the media make me out to be."

28. "Being older, I can't imagine a parent not wanting to be in their kid's life. I will just never understand it. To me, it's priceless."

29. "I can't take it back. I can't take anything back. So I don't regret it."

30. "Tattoos, cornrows, headbands, hip-hop. I never meant to start any trends. I got my butt kicked, but if that meant that the guys who came after me could be themselves, then it was worth it."

31. "It was a great experience for me - the ups and downs - because I became a man in Philadelphia."

 

 

32. "I wasn't afraid to be who I am. I didn't think anything was wrong with it."

33. "My whole thing was, just being me. Now, you look around the NBA and all of them have tattoos, guys wearing cornrows. Now you see the police officers with the cornrows. I took a beating for those types of things."

34. "I’ve always said, just go ask my teammates if you want to know about me. Go ask the guys that I’ve played with. Don’t ask or get information about me from people who are not in the locker room or not around me all of the time. Then you’ll get legit answers."

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Motivational Quotes From Allen Iverson On Success

AI never won an NBA championship but he still had a highly successful career. He was an 11x All-Star, 4x scoring champion, and the NBA MVP in 2001.

AI's success wasn't just about the awards and achievements, he overcame a lot of adversity to even make it to the NBA which was a testament to his resiliency. 

35. "I don't wanna be Jordan. I don't wanna be Bird or Isaiah, I don't wanna be any of those guys. I want to look in the mirror and say I did it my way."

36. "I love my fans in Philadelphia, but this is the hardest place in the world to play in. And I think it's the hardest place to play in to be a superstar. Just to be the No. 1 guy. All eyes on you - because everybody wants you to be perfect, but not themselves."

37. "When you win, everything is everything. But when you lose, it's all about Allen Iverson and Larry Brown. When we win, I know that I get the praise and Larry Brown gets the praise, but when we lose, it's on me and Larry Brown. That's something that I have to learn to accept and deal with."

38. "My mom always told me that I could be anything I wanted to be. And I truly, actually believed it. And I fought."

 

 

 

39. "Mistakes happen. But after a while you’ve got to stop making them happen twice."

40. "Just understand that there's going to be some ups, there's going to be some downs."

41. "Personally I just want to win a championship."

42. "Man, people have been waiting for me to fall off my whole career. From the first time I stepped on the court. It probably made people sick to their stomachs watching my whole career, watching the things that I've done in my career."

43. "I didn't take constructive criticism the way I should have. When I finally caught up to that, that's when I went to being the MVP."

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Famous Allen Iverson Sayings About Practice And Work Ethic

It wouldn't be an article with AI quotes without his famous quote about practice. Iverson's thoughts about practice became famous after a press conference in 2002 where he repeated the word "practice" over 20 times. That moment has since become one of the most iconic and frequently referenced quotes in sports history.

44. "We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice. I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we're talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last, but we're talking about practice man. How silly is that?"

45. "When you are not practicing, someone else is getting better."

46. "I don't train hard to be better than you. I train hard to be better than me yesterday."

47. "I couldn't have accomplished the things in my career if I didn't practice, and the worst part about that whole thing is when a kid comes up to me and says 'Allen, I don't like practice, either.' I've got to straighten that kid right then." 

48. "When you work hard, good things happen."

 

 

49. "You think I can be the MVP without practicing?"

50. "Only the strong survive."

51. "I’m not perfect. But I am trying every day to concentrate on being better."

52. "I made a lot of mistakes, a lot of things I’m not proud of. But it’s only for other people to learn from."

53. "I never took the game for granted as far as not having to work on what I needed to do to accomplish all of the things that I wanted to accomplish."

54. "Believe me, I am not even that brave enough to miss that many practices."

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Allen Iverson Quotes About Heart, Passion And Dedication

AI was easily one of the most passionate basketball players in NBA history. You never had to question his heart or effort. AI truly left it all on the floor every night.

55. "I gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there, but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride."

56. "What makes me feel good is all of the people that rooted for A.I. get a chance to say, 'He did what you never thought he could do. The critics. He did what you never thought he could accomplish.' This is a moment that me and my fans and my family and friends can share together because we always believed in the dream."

57. "I failed, got back up. I failed, got back up."

 

 

58. "I play every game like it’s my last game. All that matters is that you go out there and play every game as if it was your last."

59. "If I don't believe it, then they don't need me on the court. I've just got to believe that in my heart."

60. "This is the thing you dream about when you're a kid, even before getting into the league."

61. "If that many people recognize how hard I go every night and what I put into my game, to make myself and my team better, it means a lot to me. I'm fortunate; I'm blessed to be in the situation that I'm in right now."

62. "I may not know everything about physical talent or anything like that, but I have a sharp mind when it comes to that look: being able to look into somebody's eyes to tell if they are going to be in the foxhole with you tonight, or if they are not."

63. "I wasn't a point guard. I was a killer."

 

 

64. "I’d rather have more heart than talent any day."

65. "I wanted my fans and my family and my friends to be proud of me."

66. "My dream was bigger than anything else. My fight and me wanting to fulfill what I wanted to be in life. That was enough to keep me strong enough to endure anything."

67. "I just try to look into the mirror, and work on the things that I wasn’t doing, and I made a promise to myself that after the season, I will look at the same mirror, and say that you did everything you could."

68. "Either you give in, or you fight. That's all I know, being where I'm from. You fight for what you want. You go after what you want. The only thing I could do was give up or keep fighting for what I wanted in life."

69. "I don’t want to just go to the playoffs, I don’t want to go to the playoffs and win the first round, second round, and not win the whole thing because it’s bittersweet."

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