“What people don’t understand is, and Allen Iverson to me was culture before people even understood what culture was.” A few months ago, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul explained the disappointment behind not signing Allen Iverson to his company. Not just him, many former legends of the sport, plus celebrities, also feel the same. From his tattoos to his sleeve, to his crossover, AI left an unmatched legacy behind. And to think that all of this once would have remained a distant dream, when the combo guard, then a teen, was sentenced to a long term in jail.

On account of the bonus trailer release of the documentary, the writer Lisa Hampton herself made a revelation in an interview with Essentially Sports about how the documentary not only highlights the career highs of the 76ers legend but also the lows, where at one time, Allen Iverson was staring down a 15-year prison sentence at just 17 years of age.

Hampton even revealed her thought process and presented both the highs and lows: “I will admit that I went the extra mile not to focus on prisoner Allen Iverson and to protect the image that youth will see.” In the exclusive interview, she continued that the trailer or the documentary won’t have people referring to the 11x All-Star as “a thug,” “a criminal,” or “an inhumane person.”

That doesn’t mean that any part of the story will be hidden. “As a result, information necessary to reveal his story will be revealed, with no bars.” Four individuals, including Allen Iverson, faced arrest for a racially charged bowling alley brawl, on Valentine’s Day of 1993. Then, Judge Nelson Overton at a circuit court trial sentenced Bubba Chuck to 15 years of jail time. The judgment caused civil rights groups and local churches to come together.

Their efforts made sure that the sentence was reduced to just 4 months, but the incident took a heavy toll on Iverson. Hence, the reason why Lisa Hampton is telling the story in her unique way after understanding the personal plight behind the issue. She actively and consciously chose to limit the usage of photos depicting Allen Iverson in a prison in her trailer. “I have managed to create a story that balances the most critical topics in his life to include his marriage, fatherhood, and fiscal and financial matters for edification, not degradation.”

Hampton was able to differentiate and respect personal boundaries because of the “benefit of the decades via the social movements: political, social, religious and cultural.” She further added, “Even topics of women’s rights and his teenaged mother, the story of the women empowerment, and the 1979s are all examples of the balance of doing what has never been done before in telling Allen Iverson’s story.”

And Hampton’s wish to primarily showcase the positive side of Iverson in the WRONG BALL docuseries only adds to the high praise for the NBA icon in the world of basketball.

Allen Iverson and his cultural impact spoken by fellow NBA athletes

Jamal Crawford once revealed that he had 35 cutouts from the SLAM magazine of Allen Iverson. Since both had similar stature, Crawford was amazed by how AI made the game so easy. And no one can forget how ‘The Answer’ found his way that too in his rookie year to deceive Michael Jordan with the famous crossover. The 4x Scoring Champion was also a trailblazer and made his presence with a unique style statement.

The New York Knicks Captain, Jalen Brunson, said in a 2023 interview. “He wore sleeves. He was kind of the original guy to wear arm sleeves.” Brunson also revealed that he would mimic the style by tearing up her mom’s socks and used to wear them as sleeves. Jeff Teague even credited Bubba Chuck for influencing everybody in the league to be comfortable enough to display their tattoos, arm sleeves, and braids. Similarly, LeBron James had high praise for the 2000-01 MVP of the league.

“Allen Iverson and Steph, they were just so relatable, and kids felt like they could be them.” As per the Lakers superstar, both Iverson and Curry embraced their unique style and inspired generations.

Even Allen Iverson agreed about being relatable to so many people, and especially being an inspiration to the kids from the neighborhood. Not just for his fashion, and hooping skills, but as an individual as well. That’s why when Shaquille O’Neal, President of basketball at Reebok, was looking for a Vice President at the American footwear brand, he couldn’t think of anybody else apart from the ’97 ROTY. That’s why fellow NBA players like LeBron James, Jeff Teague, Jamal Crawford, and others are appreciative of Bubba Chuck and his contribution.