Allen Iverson Dismisses NBA Load Management, Makes Joke About Missing Practice
April 12, 2024
Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson isn't a fan of NBA stars sitting out of games without an injury designation in order to prepare for the postseason.
"Yeah right," Iverson responded sarcastically when asked about utilizing the concept of load management during his playing days. "You know me. I would have still been pouting every time I came out of the game."
Derek Bodner @DerekBodnerNBAAllen Iverson was asked whether he would embrace load management. <br><br>"Yeah right...Just sitting out of a game? I can sit out of practice. Play me in the game." <br><br>We'll have the full AI press conference up in a bit at the <a href="https://twitter.com/PHLY_Sports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PHLY_Sports</a> YouTube feed.<a href="https://t.co/J92lp7FcJE">https://t.co/J92lp7FcJE</a> <a href="https://t.co/Yk6RKOlNVv">pic.twitter.com/Yk6RKOlNVv</a>
"I can sit out of practice," Iverson joked. "Play me in the game."
The Philadelphia 76ers revealed a statue of the former MVP on Friday, commemorating his career with the organization that spanned over a decade. The 11-time All-Star routinely played through injuries and other ailments, suiting up in all 82 regular-season games in multiple seasons.
In 914 career appearances with four NBA teams, Iverson averaged 41.1 minutes per game and led the league in minutes played on several occasions. While he was always willing to suit up in a game, practicing was a different story.
In May 2002, Iverson was involved in one of the league's most infamous press conferences as he brought up the word "practice" 22 times in an attempt to steer the discussion towards on-court impact.
While the four-time scoring champion isn't a fan of modern players taking games off in order to preserve their health for the playoffs, it still doesn't appear that he's grown fond of practicing since his retirement.
