Allen Iverson Interview: All Star Weekend
One of the world's most popular players, Allen Iverson, shooting guard on the Philadelphia 76ers, is back for yet another All-Star game, this time in Los Angeles. See what he said to the media a few days before the game.
Q: Have you gotten over the fact that your team has changed coaches?
Iverson: I’ve got to. There’s nothing bad about it because I’ve got to move on. It was unfortunate, but life goes on and you have to go.
Q: Does you team need to make a trade?
Iverson: I don’t care. I feel like if we don’t make a trade, we have to get it done with what we’ve got.
Q: What’s your definition of getting it done?
Iverson: Win the championship. There’s nothing less than that. I don’t care about just going to the playoffs; I’ve been to the playoffs before. To me it is a big deal because the fans get a lot out of it … Personally I just want to win a championship. 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. I just want to win the whole thing.
Q: Is it realistic, with winning under .500 to be talking championship?
Iverson: 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. I’m not going to believe it until somebody tells me (you can’t do it), but until then it’s not done. I believe that whatever we have, regardless of a trade being done or not, I feel we have a shot. I’ve just got to believe that we’re going to be all right. I’ve got to just play basketball.
Q: Do you feel guilty about your coach being fired?
Iverson: We should because when coaches get fired, the players have a lot to do with it. Everything is going so bad, then they’re like the first people to go, then the players go after them. We had a lot to do with Randy being fired. If we were to do a lot better, then it probably wouldn’t have happened.
Q: Can you talk about being an All-Star?
Iverson: Being an All-Star is everything. This is the thing you dream about when you’re a kid, even before getting into the league. This is what you want to be. Without my teammates, without the coaches I’ve had, it wouldn’t be possible. 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. I owe a lot of it to Coach Thompson, Coach Brown, and Coach Bailey, my high school coach. Every level, they helped me to get through certain points. This is like a tribute to them, the people who helped me to get here. The thing that makes me feel good about the whole thing is, the fans voted me here. That’s big. 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 mean. I’m fortunate; I’m blessed to be in the situation that I’m in right now.
Source: http://www.insidehoops.com/all-star-iverson-interview-021404.shtml
Posted by John Mbugua
