Allen Iverson says he didn’t invent the crossover. A Georgetown walk-on who never played a minute taught it to him, and made him a legend instead of himself
Interviewer: “I was surprised to learn that you learned the crossover from a guy from Brooklyn who barely played at Georgetown”
AI: “Look at what that guy gave me”
Interviewer: “But you learned it from another guy. You didn’t make it up”
AI: “He didn’t even have his name on the back. The most important thing for me when I was going to college is I always wanted my name on the back of my jersey. This guy did not have a name on the back. He was a walk-on”
Interviewer: “He didn’t play”
AI: “Didn’t even play. But he had a nasty crossover. He used to hit me with that thing at practice. I put my pride aside, my ego, ‘Hey, come here, man. You gotta show me how to do it.’ And to this day, he still says, ‘Yours is better than mine’”
Rookie Giannis says he didn’t know what a “per diem” was, so he pocketed the cash, rented a limousine, and took his whole family to Walmart
“They had this limousine in front of the Pfister, I’d never seen a limousine. I went inside and asked if I can order food. They gave me a “per diem” but I didn’t know what a “per diem” was”
“I said, ‘Oh, this is my money.’ They said, ‘Yes, your money.’ I put it in my pocket. Then I asked, ‘Can I order room service?’ He said yes but he meant with the “per diem.” I didn’t know”
“So I ordered everything, ice cream, pizza, chicken wings. Everything I couldn’t have as an athlete, I wanted it”
“Then when I picked up my family from Chicago, I called my agent: ‘Can you get me a limousine?’ He said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because I want my family to have the same experience I had’”
“So I took them in a limousine, but I didn’t know where to take them. I said, ‘Mom, what do you want to do?’ She said, ‘Let’s get groceries.’ We went in a limousine… to Walmart. Southside Walmart”