Enraged Over Vernon Maxwell Decision, Allen Iverson Threatened 76ers “He Wasn’t Playing”

“We talkin bout practice?” Remember Allen Iverson’s iconic “practice” rant? While the world got to know his distaste for it during a press conference in 2002, AI’s teammates were well aware of it even before the infamous interview. However, as his former teammate Vernon Maxwell revealed, The Answer also used this tactic to send a message to the front office sometimes. Iverson has never hesitated to take a stand for the people he cares about. And he once took extreme measures after Maxwell was let go by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Maxwell, who entered the league years before Iverson, detailed how he was suddenly removed from the 76ers team in 2001. Upon hearing the news, Iverson couldn’t keep his calm and left the practice facility, threatening not to return. After looking for Maxwell throughout the facility, a lady informed him of what had happened.

“And he burst out of goddamn practice and just, he went home. And he told the buggers he wasn’t playing and all this s**t. So I called him up and I told him, ‘Man, I mean, man, don’t worry about me, man. I’m good, man. I’m used to this f**k s**t, this fu**y s*t,'” Maxwell revealed on the Sheed and Tyler podcast.

True to his word, AI didn’t return to practice for 3-4 days before Maxwell had to talk to him to make him understand. Maxwell initially played with the 76ers in the 1995-96 season. At that time, he didn’t get to play with AI as he was drafted in 1996. Nonetheless, fate allowed Maxwell to return to Philly in 2000. However, this stint only lasted for 24 games before he was moved to the Dallas Mavericks.

Before his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, Vernon was able to win back-to-back championships with the Houston Rockets. During this brief time in Philly, he passed on that mentality to the legendary guard. But it’s awe-inspiring that the two were able to form such a strong bond in just a few months.

Vernon Maxwell protected Allen Iverson

During an appearance on Maxwell’s podcast sometime back, the Philadelphia 76ers legend detailed how he was protected by the 2x NBA champ. AI recalled how he was getting fouled by the tough players. Maxwell, who noticed the situation, immediately took action against it.

The 6-foot-4 guard confronted one of the opposition team’s members and asked him to stop fouling AI. Maxwell even threatened that he would pay Iverson’s fine. “I don’t remember who it was. But I just remember Vernon telling the guy, ‘Look, don’t do that again because he’s gonna pay my fine. So, you foul him like that one more time, there’s going to be repercussions,” Iverson said on the podcast. That was the end of it. Iverson recalled how nobody dared to mess with him after that.

This tells a lot about the two NBA legends’ bond. Even after all these years, both didn’t forget the brotherhood and team spirit they shared in the 76ers. And after the story that Maxwell shared, we understand why Iverson is admired by every member of the NBA community.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.