Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson is known for playing with so much heart and showing up to the arena no matter what ailment was bothering him. All he knew was going out there and playing while putting the city of Philadelphia on his bony shoulders and lead them to a win.
There were plenty of times when Iverson would be too injured, however, and the Sixers would have to hide his jersey and his shoes to make sure he does not play and make the injury worse. That is how much the 6-foot guard from Georgetown loved playing for the Sixers and for the fan base.
Former general manager Billy King joined The Audacy NBA Show with Ryan McDonough and he explained what the Sixers would have to do to try and protect Iverson:
When he was injured and we knew he couldn’t play we used to hide his jersey. Because he would come to the locker room looking for his jersey, we’d lock it somewhere so he couldn’t get it…. One time, in New York, he found his jersey but didn’t have any shoes. He was trying to send the ball boy to the Foot Locker around the corner. He said ‘just give me a pair of their Reeboks. I can play in those.’ Then he pointed to an attendant, ‘what size are you, just give me those shoes,’ because he wanted to play so bad.
It is really admirable that Iverson would continue to play through any injury thrown his way. He was definitely a warrior out on the floor and he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure his team came out on top.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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