Original subtitles

[men laughing]

[men chatter]

[Allen] Yeah, I might take one. I ain't nervous.

[man] I said, man, I thought I was done with work.

That's why I didn't even want to keep going.

So, I didn't know that he was gonna put me back on the spot.

[man 2] If you ask him a question...

[man 3] I'm not gonna ask that motherfucker no questions.

[Allen] Nah, I just came up here 'cause I wanted to see my daddy talk.

[man 4] There you go.

[chuckles] C'mon.

[man 5] We're good, man. We get it.

[man 6] Are you wearing a mic?

Yeah.

[Michael chuckles] What was that, Mommy?

Why you gotta have that shirt on?

'Cause look, they made it for me, baby.

- [Michael laughs] - What it say?

Give me some. Don't leave me hangin'.

[man 6] Are y'all ready?

[Allen] Yeah.

- [man 6] Speed? - [man 7] Speak up.

[Michael] Before he started playing basketball, he loved football.

He said basketball was soft.

Mommy did that. You ain't had nothin' to do with that.

- It ain't had nothin' to do with you. - Football.

Football, that's her.

Basketball is me.

That's a lie. Mommy made me play basketball.

[Ann] I'll let y'all have that.

All right, go ahead. 'Cause I don't know where you goin'.

[low music]

The way I believe in God, the way I love Him

and the way I trust Him,

like I just feel like everything gonna be all right.

Comin' from where I've come from and the circumstances

that went along with where I'm from; people like that don't make it this far.

[reporter] Police are racing to what they expect

will be even more drug-related violence.

[low, dark music]

[Allen] I gotta talk...

I can't get better until I own my mistakes.

That's what this fucking documentary is going to be.

I ain't lyin' about shit.

It's not gonna be perfect.

But that's what make us the greatest family.

[Ann] Sometimes, what I say...

it might be a little bit too much because I don't do interviews.

And I will tell this story for Allen's documentary.

I hustled.

Straight up.

[Allen] Triumph is making it.

[announcer] Congratulations, 2001 NBA MVP

Allen Iverson.

[Allen] When people try to do everything they can

to not see you succeed...

[man 9] Human can of Mace for sponsors.

[reporter] ...sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.

We say, fuck them.

[Allen] I'm the people's champ.

[man 10] We understand who Allen Iverson is.

But we don't know who Bubba Chuck is.

[commentator indistinctly]

he steps around Lou and drilled it!

[man 11] He's not cocky, he's not arrogant.

I can't win 'em all. I'm human. I'm just like y'all, man.

He ain't perfect. He never said he was.

You are the forefather of allowing people to be themselves.

[Dwyane] You inspired a generation

to believe that coming from nothing is not a limitation,

but motivation.

[man] Are you the answer to that question, who's gonna carry the NBA torch?

I want to be.

I want to take on that responsibility.

I just felt like I was Goliath.

[music crescendos]

Never felt like David.

[commentator] Oh, no! Allen Iverson.

[Allen] I'm on the court with the greatest ever,

but they're gonna remember #3 too.

[music rises]

[cheers]

[Allen] My mom told me when I was eight years old...

that I could be anything I wanted to be.

And I actually believed it.

[commentator] And finally, a six-foot guard from Georgetown,

number three,

Allen...

Iverson!

That's why I need to get the fuck away from this camera.

- 'Cause it's fuckin', it's burnin' me up. - [all laughing]

[dark music]

[music fades]

[producer] Okay, I hear voices.

We're rolling.

[interviewer] Once you made your decision to turn pro,

your life must've gotten really crazy.

Can we talk about that?

I don't think it really got crazy. I was just...

[interviewer] Was there a lot of hoopla when you made your decision?

Definitely. Um, because nobody ever left Georgetown early.

[interviewer] Can you say, when I made my decision to turn pro?

All right. When I made my decision to turn pro,

- it was a lotta... - [interviewer] Okay, stop.

Sorry, man. You can cut.

[recorder beeps]

When I made the...

When I made the decision to leave Georgetown,

there was a lot of hoopla

because no player ever left Georgetown early.

I knew after the season that I could be in the top five.

When I found out that Philly was getting the first pick,

I knew I had a real chance, a good chance

of being the number one pick.

[indistinct chatter]

Yeah, I just wanted to be a NBA basketball player.

That's the only thing that mattered to me.

I was gonna play every game like it was my last.

If I asked myself, what am I here for?

I would've said...

to take care of my family.

[indistinct chatter]

[Allen] I knew if I was successful in basketball,

then I could one day look out for my mom like I wanted to.

[indistinct chatter]

[overlapping chatter]

[Allen] You know, she always told me I was gonna be somebody.

I just worked hard at it.

[crowd cheers]

[whistle blows]

[interviewer] Tell me again about the neighborhood you grew up in.

[Allen] Growin' up in Newport News was,

um, good for me

because, you know, I think I learned...

Ugh...

I, um... Growin' up in Newport News

was great for me because, you know, I feel I learn...

[laughs] I don't know what I was gonna say "learned" for.

Ah, start over. I, um...

Growin' up in Newport News, I think it was a good experience for me

because, um, I think I found all my friends there.

The people that, um, really cared for me.

And the people I cared for.

Um, when I see those people today, you know,

I know that everything's real between us, you know.

So, you know, I will always remember the people I met in Newport News.

Because that's where it all started.

Oh, shit!

That's crazy.

[man] Ain't it pretty?

- [Allen] That's crazy. - [man] Ain't it pretty?

Ain't it pretty?

[Ann] I wouldn't've thought in 1982

- he would have a sign. - [man] Come on.

Come on, Momma.

You finally got a sign!

It's all good. Give me some, baby.

[man 12 indistinct]

I took major ass-whoopin's to get that sign.

You sure did!

[man] Well, congratulations.

My heart's always gonna be here.

This is who I am. This is what made me who I am.

You know what I mean? When I look at this,

I just, um, I think of...

the people from here.

I love you, Dad!

[Allen] My life in these streets

prepared me for the rest of the world, the outside world.

To me, this like, this was my only world, right here.

Wherever I'm at in life, I carry you all with me.

[Karl West] And we love Bubba Chuck!

- He's our own! - What about Allen?

He represents everything we about.

Whatever he did, however he did it,

he represented home! And we love you!

And ain't nothing can stop that!

You are home!

You belong to us!

[Allen] I come from the trenches.

I come from where you can't survive being weak 'round here,

down the street from here.

I spent, um, most of my childhood in Newport News.

It was rough.

Hampton and Newport News.

It was hard for us in the projects.

[sirens in distance]

Just like mostly anywhere in the world,

you got good people and you got bad people.

You know, you got poverty, you got crime.

That's the ghetto. You know what I mean?

Now, they got great parts, and in Hampton they got great parts

and Newport News. We just couldn't afford to live there.

[reporter] Thanks to $12 million worth of government-funded refurbishing

over the last two years, these 40-year-old apartments

in Southeastern Newport News for the elderly and low-income

hardly reflect their true age.

[reporter 2] It's almost surprising to see this prime tract of real estate

reserved for low-income housing.

[Allen] Home, Jack.

My home. Man, this is where it all started, right here.

Nine-thirteen. Man, ain't nobody knockin' on this door.

Uh, I used to, um, man, this is where I was at right here.

Look, my momma was out the window.

And it was about 50 dudes out here.

Them motherfuckers had bats, chains.

Motherfuckers had all kinds, knives, everything.

They had bats with my name written on it.

And Mommy's looking out and she's like...

I said, Ma, you hear what's goin' on?

She's like, yeah, just don't take your ass outside.

Man, I looked across right here, man,

all them motherfuckers was walkin' down the goddamn street.

A dude said that I ran him outta here, me and my homeboys.

I had a summer league game and all that. He would just...

The girl that he was messin' with liked me.

I fought him one-on-one. And then, Tony told...

may he rest in peace, the dudes that any y'all can fight 'em

but after y'all fight him, y'all gotta fight me.

You know what I mean?

Man, this was normal to me.

You know what I mean? I didn't think...

I mean, it was paradise to me.

[chuckles] You know what I'm sayin'?

I ain't know nothin' else but this.

I used to clam out there.

I used to clam, like, you walk out there at low tide,

and you just do the shit with your feet, whatever. You know what I mean?

Yeah, I was gettin' them big-ass clams,

and then, Mommy used to steam them bitches.

Put that Texas Pete on them motherfuckers.

My mother, Ethel Ann Iverson, she took care of us the best she could.

She worked a bunch of odd jobs to support us.

I owe everything to my mom. Everything.

[soft music]

[Ann] I had him in the Hampton General Hospital.

I was 15 years old.

And I fought from the day he was born. I struggled.

You know, the struggle was really, really real.

I gave him all I could have

because I felt like God gave him to me...

so I wouldn't be so sad.

And so I wouldn't cry every night.

Yeah.

[Allen] I had an uncle named Bubba and one named Chuck.

And they was arguin' over my nickname.

And my momma said, name him Bubba Chuck.

[Ann] My half-brother's name was Chuckie.

And Uncle Bubba was my dad's brother.

[Allen] My grandmother was my heart and my everything.

I was with her, basically, all the time.

That's where my definition of love comes from.

From my grandma and my mom.

[Ann] Once I had him, things was scary.

When you're 15 years old, you don't know how to be an adult.

You don't know how to take care of babies.

I didn't ever rely on welfare. I got my ass out there to work.

And after I graduated, the shipyard called me.

Everybody wanted to go to the shipyard

'cause you know, the shipyard make a bunch of money.

And I met Michael Freeman.

[Michael] Man, I was getting off from work,

it was shipyard break.

They had a party at the pool.

And I met Ann. She was the prettiest thing in there.

I asked for her number and if I could come around and see her sometime.

She was like, yeah.

But she was kinda skeptical 'cause Nana didn't play that.

You come down here, you got to take the package.

I said, what package? That was him and her.

I told her, I'm gonna take the package.

I loved 'em ever since then.

[Greg Iverson] Michael Freeman, house mouse.

He was there for the family.

Made sure my grandma had things for us.

And he was there for Allen.

He was a hustler.

You know, one of those playboys with that big ol' afro.

My sister went after him.

[Ann] He was nice to me.

He was older and it was convenient.

He would give me a little change and stuff.

I ended up getting pregnant with my daughter Brandy.

And she was just the most joyful little girl.

Me and Bubba Chuck fell in love with her.

My favorite memory of young Allen is when we went to get Brandy.

Ann had just had the baby.

It was about three feet of snow on the ground.

I woke Bubba Chuck up.

I said, man, let's go.

He told me, Daddy, where we goin'?

I said, man, we're going to get your sister.

He told me, we gotta go right now?

I said, yes, so we can make it on time.

I said that's your little sister right there.

He said, I love her.

And from that day on to right now,

he love her.

One thing I do know, he love her.

- He'd do anything for her. - [crying]

[Michael] He come home before her...

[Allen] You better go get her.

[Michael] You better go get her or you can't come home.

I'd lose two of 'em instead of one.

[crying softly]

[Michael] You gotta go get her.

We had a great childhood in Newport News.

We didn't know we was poor 'cause we didn't need for anything.

[Allen] Our house was filled with love.

My mom, my sister and my dad was, you know, in and out.

[Greg] The street life had him going back and forth.

But for some reason, as my sister Ann got older, she got wiser

and she did her thing.

When Bubba Chuck was ten,

and Brandy was six, going on seven,

one day when I came home from work,

they talked to me and they said, Mom, will you take Daddy back?

I explained to them then, I'm never gonna take your daddy back.

He's just not the man for me.

[Allen] This is where my daddy whooped my momma's boyfriend's ass.

- [man calls out] - [Allen] Mm-hmm.

[Michael] Listen, this is what happened, right.

The man... I was arguin' with Ann. He come out the room,

grabbed me in a chokehold.

- I said, Ann... - [Ann laughing]

tell him, get his hands up off me.

He's talkin' 'bout, nah, I'mma kill you.

- [Anne] How you know, Daddy? - In a chokehold.

He grabbed me, he come up behind me.

He's talkin' 'bout, nah, I'm gonna kill this nigga...

I said, okay. I say, you ain't gonna let me go?

So, I grabbed the helmet off the thing...

Whatcha want that...

[Michael] ...took off runnin'. That nigga ran behind the car.

He's on one side, I'm on the other side.

So, I walked down this way, he walked that way.

I walked down this way, he walked that way.

When he looked, I had jumped on the top of the car.

I was on the top of the car like this.

With the helmet like that.

He took off runnin'. I come off there, jump like Hulk Hogan.

Boom!

I saw my helmet poppin'. I just seen pieces...

[Michael] I broke the helmet on him. Boom!

I stayed in jail four days for that.

I had to put the title of my car up to get out of jail.

- [people laughing] - All right, Daddy.

- [Greg] Allen had his uncles... - He had us.

- as a male figure in his life. - [shutter clicks]

[Allen] I always had my dad and those two guys in my life.

[woman] Stevie was the nice one.

Gregory was the mean one.

Like, if Gregory was to cuss you out,

I fuckin' love you but I'll kill you.

- Yeah... - [woman laughs]

[Greg] From the time he was walkin', he always was with us.

And 90% of the time, we were at the basketball court.

And he'd sit there crying, wantin' to get in the game.

He was so small. I called him a crybaby

because he always, he'd cry all the time 'cause he'd wanna play.

He'd want to come with us.

Not only was he a nephew,

- he was like a little brother. - [Greg] A little brother.

Our little brother.

You know, he always wants to be the best no matter what he do.

You know, even when we'd be out there fishin'.

You know, catchin' the big ones. He'd be like, I got the big one.

I caught the first fish.

[Stevie] Back then, we had no pole.

So, you just get a line, whatever, put a hook on it, whatever,

swing it out, you know.

Always wanted to be better than the next one.

Any of us.

[Allen] That's who I looked up to.

I wanted to be like Stevie. I wanted to be like Gregory.

[Stevie] Like in our neighborhood, you hit that court 100%.

It was so aggressive in our neighborhood,

my own brother knocked my tooth out.

Bubba was there to see that. He was like, God!

- You know? My uncle's crazy! - [Greg laughs]

[Allen] I wanted to be like my uncles

because they were my heroes.

I saw excellence in both of 'em.

They were the rocks of our family.

People depended on them in our family.

[Stevie] We could go out and play a different neighborhood.

You know, when you say rep your squad,

it was a whole different thing. You rep your neighborhood.

It was a proud thing.

[Greg] And he watched that.

And he seen how everybody came at us,

and they couldn't do nothin' with us. We had it.

You know, you don't have to be tall to be tough.

[Allen] That football field. That's where we used to play at.

And this was the sidelines.

You're on the sideline, you get your ass tore up.

- Yeah, Jamie. I was right there. - [man] Chuck, you remember that?

[Allen] I was watchin' somethin' on TV.

I put soap in my hair and got some waves.

Jamie was my little homeboy out there.

So, I just remember havin' him in the tub

washin' his head with soap,

tryin' to get a white boy wave.

[everybody laughs]

- That was my little man. - [man] 'Cause he wanted it.

[Jamie] I just remember a huge trophy case, and it was lit up.

And it was full of trophies.

He had dreams back then.

He was like, I'mma go to the NBA or the NFL.

I'mma be the next Michael Jordan. I'mma be Tony Dorsett.

Our relationship was more just fun.

It was like an escape from whatever was goin' on at home.

[Allen] I mean, I had friends, I had fun.

The only thing that probably was a problem is

not bein' fresh as I wanted to be.

Not bein' able to afford what all the other kids had.

[Ann] Bubba Chuck understands what it's like

to not have certain things.

And at that time, things was rough

because I was like, let me get out of this house.

You know, 'cause the water didn't work,

and you know, sometimes you couldn't... It just was terrible.

[Allen] It was difficult for me. I remember,

I had to wear my sister's pants three days out of the week.

It was rough on me, but I had no choice.

The other families were basically going through

the same things we were going through.

[Jamie] You know, that's one thing about Stuart Gardens,

we always was doin' the best we could with what we had.

Love you, dog.

- I love you. - [Allen] I love you too, man.

[Ann] I focused a little bit more on him.

I knew how I was gonna shape him.

You know, 'cause I didn't want him to be a product of the street.

I loved him too much.

And I remember one time, I got an ass-whoopin'...

[Ann] Sometimes, Bubba Chuck would say, you're mean,

bein' mean and stuff. 'Cause I whipped his ass a lot.

I walked through that way. I caught myself runnin' away.

Told my mom I was runnin' away.

She was like, all right.

You know, basically told me I'd be back before my suitcase stopped rockin'.

[Ann] I did him like my coach did me.

Put your hands on the wall, Ethel.

And she had a paddle. And I had my paddle.

And I tapped that butt.

So, I had to sit with my hands on the joint,

and Momma just... fucked me up.

You ain't tell me nothin' 'bout that.

Yeah, 'cause nobody wanted you to know that Mommy was fuckin' us up.

What I'da done if I'd know that?

Flipped out.

[laughs]

My sister and I, we thought where we stayed was normal.

[reporter] Crime in Virginia has shot up...

We are no longer willing to tolerate illegal drugs.

[Allen] It was a neighborhood that was filled with drugs...

[Ann] It was everywhere.

[dark music]

- [Allen] ...crime... - [voices overlapping] I sold drugs.

We're getting tough on drugs...

[Allen] pain...

[reporter] 250% increase in murders committed by juveniles...

[Allen] violence...

[woman] One of his really close friends die.

- [Allen] May he rest in peace. - The loss of a brother.

My best friend, 20 years old. Right over here.

They got into it and...

As far as life goes, it was just me, Allen and Brandy,

for a long time. My brothers went in the military.

When I went into the military, Allen, yeah, he bawled out.

You know, asked me, why are you leavin' me, Uncle?

[serene music]

I went in when I was 17.

My grandma signed for me to go in.

And it was either the military, or be out on the streets.

Allen, he was a little kid. He didn't understand that.

Me and Bubba had a bond. You know, it was like...

Like, when I left to go in the military,

you know, and I had to tell Bubba,

and...

it was hard.

Uh... it was like I was leavin' him.

'Cause I loved him like a brother.

You need, you need somebody in your corner.

You know?

It was rough.

It was rough.

And I felt, you know, that like, I abandoned him.

You know?

So, you know, all that love that we had on Jordan Drive,

you know what I mean, was goin' away from him.

[shutter clicks]

And certain things, we just had to overcome.

[interviewer] Talk a little bit about the necessity to work hard.

You know, work ethic.

I think with me, um...

I really wanted to do so much for my family.

That really made me work that much harder.

[Ann] His love for sports was just crazy

because he was so competitive.

Football, basketball...

[Allen] When I felt like just chillin' and hangin' out with my friends,

that would make me go work on my game, go shoot, go throw the football around.

[Ann] I'd say, well, it's only football. It's only basketball, baseball.

Why are you so upset?

[Allen] Every time I got down and was tired and my bones were hurtin',

I just thought about my family.

[Ann] And he used to always tell me, 'cause I wanna win.

Thinkin' that I didn't want to be there all my life.

[commentator] Iverson tries to throw...

He's got... touchdown!

If anybody was gonna do it, I felt it was gonna be me.

[commentator] Allen Iverson with a 33-yard touchdown pass.

[Allen] I was a football player at first.

So, I always felt like I was a better football player.

I'm commissioner of the Aberdeen Athletic Association

and Youth Organization located in Hampton, Virginia.

At the stage of his life

where he needed to be involved in something, we were there.

He's passed through a lot of different hands, much like a baton.

[Ann] Bubba was five years old when he first started playin' football.

I played my first year, wide receiver at TBP.

I got one pass thrown to me the whole season.

Then I went to Dord Miller, I played center.

And then, I went to Hampton with Gary Moore.

He was the commissioner of the league.

And he was like a father figure to me.

[Gary Moore] It appeared to me he had this insatiable desire

to just win at all costs. You know, he wanted to win every game.

He wanted to catch every pass. You know, he wanted to make sure that his team won.

He bent the rules, basically.

'Cause he had to get away from the city of Hampton

'cause he lived in Newport News at the time.

But they didn't have a recreation environment there,

so, they waived him.

[Allen] So, he had to come get me every day for practice

and the games and all that.

Then that's when I played scale positions.

And that's when the real, you know, talent came out.

[man] That's when I took him one day over to Bethel High School.

[marching band drums playing]

Chuck started playing high school in the eighth grade.

That's how good he was.

[marching band drums playing]

[Allen] In high school, I felt like I arrived.

["The What" by The Notorious B.I.G.]

[announcer] There you see Allen Iverson warming up on the sidelines.

He is such a tremendous asset to this Bethel team.

Allen of course plays a great job at safety.

He's had eight interceptions on the season.

He had six runs back on kicks for touchdowns.

And then, when he gets through doing that,

he plays the quarterback role on offense, and does a tremendous job in that area.

[coach] We're number one in total defense,

and hopefully, we can contain number ten tonight

and keep him from runnin' around the football.

[reporter] Yeah, he will run around.

♪ Biggie Smalls is the illest Your style is played out ♪

♪ Like Arnold on that "What you talking 'bout, Willis?" ♪

♪ The thrill is gone The Black Frank White ♪

[announcer] Allen Iverson with the stick and it's incomplete.

Racing for the corner and he's got it.

♪ I want the fucking fortune Like the Wheel ♪

♪ I squeeze gats till my clips is empty Don't tempt me ♪

♪ You don't want to fuck with The M-E... ♪

[Michael Jackson] It was nothing he couldn't do

on the football field and excel at.

[announcer] Iverson fakes, launch the throw...

[Michael Jackson] From a skill perspective,

Allen has always been who he is.

[Allen] Like, you couldn't tell me, basically, that anybody could touch me.

[announcer] He may go all the way!

[Allen] I always had confidence.

It's not cocky, it's not arrogant.

I can see that it's confidence. Like, I believe in me.

The wind drives Iverson back. Iverson will take it on the one hop.

Finally got a block on the sideline, he does...

[Allen] If it's me and you, it's me.

[announcer] Will he go? He will!

[announcer 2] You said it. Don't kick the ball to Allen Iverson.

[Allen] At every level, I took that confidence with me.

♪ Fuck the world Don't ask me for shit ♪

♪ Everything you get You gotta work hard for it ♪

♪ Honeys shake your hips You don't stop ♪

♪ And niggas pack the clips Keep on, bitch ♪

I knew comin' in the game they wasn't gonna let me do,

you know, what I wanted to do early in the season.

But you know, I just buckled down, kept my composure.

I started off slow at the beginning, but you know, I kept it goin'.

[intense music]

[Demerrick] We were playin' one of the top teams in the nation.

One of their players ran a 67-yard touchdown.

[announcer] One man to catch him, and he will not get him.

[Demerrick] We kind of looked defeated.

Chuck said, don't worry about it. I'm about to tie it back up.

[Allen] This is me. Like, I'm the best out here. Every night.

[announcer] Let's see what the Bruins are made of here.

They'll have to try and come back after trailing seven to nothing.

[Demerrick] Took the kick return. Went about 77 yards.

[announcer] Moves to the inside! He may go all the way!

This is what happens, Allen Iverson.

[Demerrick] He said, I told you I was gonna tie it up. Now let's go.

If he says he's gonna make it happen, he's gonna make it happen.

- Or die tryin'. - Yeah, he's gonna die tryin'.

[announcer] And sacked away by Iverson.

[Allen] Just wantin' to be the guy on your team

that people feel like, if you're on the team,

then we always got a chance of winnin'.

[announcer] Iverson has a man open, completes the pass and a touchdown!

Big play!

[Demerrick] It motivated the whole team.

We ended up beating a team that we shouldn't have beaten.

[announcer] Allen Iverson with the interception!

His second in the second half!

[Demerrick] Everybody wrote us off.

Everybody knew they'd be state champions.

We ended up becoming state champions.

[announcer] What a nice throw. Allen stepped up...

It was a good team effort led by Xavier and the rest of the fellas.

We played hard all night. We shut 'em down. [indistinct]

What do you gotta say as a junior to go and win a state championship?

It's gotta feel pretty good.

[Allen] Gonna go get one in basketball now, that's all.

[crowd cheering]

[interviewer] What's it like showing up your first day

knowing you're gonna wear the uniform for real?

[Allen] It was just great to just put on the uniform.

I just felt, God, I mean...

You know, all I kept doin' was lookin' at my uniform,

lookin' at the logo.

Just somethin' I watched all my life,

and to finally be there, it was just somethin' extra.

It's kind of ironic that I'm playin' basketball now

as much as I cared about football.

[interviewer] What was it about basketball you fell in love with?

[Allen] The energy level.

Non-stop. You know in football, you get to stop and huddle and all that.

But basketball, it was just up and down, up and down.

And I was real energetic.

[coach] Keep it up, keep it up!

[Allen] I really didn't want to play basketball.

I felt basketball was like a soft sport.

Now I'm findin' out that that's not true.

Because of the physical nature of the NBA.

But, um, I just always felt basketball was soft.

Plus, football was just, you know, that was like my first love,

the only sport I really cared about

and wanted to be real good at.

And you know, my mom made me go to practice that day.

[Ann] And the year that he also played basketball,

he hurt my feelin's.

Because I told him get out there, you get in that car.

You're gonna play basketball.

He really didn't want to play basketball, he wanted to play football.

That's his first love, football.

He had to go and get Allen.

And Allen would hide from him because he didn't wanna get up that early.

[Bob] Yeah, first couple times, he said practice was too strenuous for him.

[laughs]

He's walkin' down the steps, he said,

nobody want to play basketball. Basketball all soft.

And he stomped his way down the stairs.

I said, stomp all you want, but you get out that door.

[Allen] When I got to the gym,

I seen like 10, 15 dudes that was on my football team.

You know what I mean?

And I been lovin' basketball ever since.

[Bob] I saw Bubba play in '79.

I saw him steal an inbound pass and do a behind-the-back layup.

Never looked at the goal.

[Butch] At nine years old, he could do things

that a lot of kids well above his age couldn't do.

[Mike Bailey] The first time I saw him playin' basketball

was when he was a sixth-grader

and a skinny little kid. Probably no bigger than 5'2".

Comes down the court, throws a behind-the-back pass.

And I said, who is that?

And of course, they say Bubba Chuck.

[Allen] Coach Jim was my first basketball coach

that honestly believed in me.

Freak, Bubba, freak. That's what he used to tell me.

I saw the greatness when he was [indistinct]

when we won the AAU National Championship.

[Mike Bailey] He was supposed to go with Boo Williams,

basically as a back-up player.

[announcer] Joe Smith, who we alluded to earlier, he is their big man.

[Joe Smith] You ever went out for a Boo Williams tryout,

you know you had to be ready to face the best competition.

We knew Boo Williams was our key to making it to the next level.

[Mike] The point guard really didn't really get the job done.

Allen stepped in; made All-Tourney Team.

[upbeat orchestral music]

[Boo] He had 30 points at halftime three times.

That's unheard of.

We would go to Anderson Park, and they would be pickin' teams.

They would always pick Bubba to play with them.

And he would be playin' with the grown men.

[Barry Darby] I mean, this is just pick-up games.

I seen somebody throw him an alley-oop from half court.

He caught that bitch in the air, dunked it backwards.

And I used to see, you know, grown men get upset with him.

Chuck come out there and kill motherfuckers

in goddamn ninth grade.

[Mike] Every time he went away

and there was a new conquest he could be challenged with,

he'd come back the victor, a champion.

[Allen] In my freshman year in high school, I was average okay.

But then that summer...

[announcer] Allen Iverson, the sophomore sensation,

twenty-five points a game. But he's not a bad football player either.

[Allen] I just felt myself getting that much better than everybody else.

[announcer] No good. Iverson for the board.

[announcer 2] Did you see that one-handed rebound?

[announcer] Iverson, reverse layup. Wow!

Iverson again. Hit it.

[Allen] We played assemblies and pick-up games.

I just felt myself gettin' better. And it was a dramatic improvement

even from the next year.

[announcer] Iverson in heavy traffic, got it.

He was being goaded by three people and he still got the basket.

I didn't want nobody to say

that he's better in basketball than he is in football,

better in football than he is in basketball.

[reporter] This place is packed for the game practice.

'Course their season was delayed

by the football players being tied up with the championship game.

But it apparently didn't hurt Iverson, the team's quarterback.

On Saturday he has one practice, comes out and scores 37 points.

- I can just be dominant in both sports. - ["Tonight's da Night" by Redman]

♪ You wanna see me get cool Please, save it for the breeze ♪

♪ 'Cause the lyrics and tracks Make me funky like cottage cheese ♪

♪ Fuck the smooth shit I get down with the boom bip ♪

♪ Like Q-Tip, I kick more styles Than Bruce shoes kick ♪

♪ But tonight's the night What I write tonight ♪

♪ This type of funk With the flavor like Mike 'n' Ike's ♪

[Butch] If you like art and go to an art museum,

and to think that's your favorite thing to look at.

He was a lot of people's favorite thing to watch, this kid. He was so phenomenal.

[Mike] We could not play in high school gymnasiums anymore at home.

So, there were a lot of people there to see Allen play.

Iverson is considered one of the top college prospects in America.

["Tonight's da Night" by Redman continues]

[Joe] When I first met Allen, I thought he was little.

No way this little guy over here is makin' all this noise.

But in order for him to present himself as a bigger person,

he had to think Goliath.

He was fearless to attack the paint, even though he'd get knocked down.

The mentality that helped him out throughout his career.

[Mike] We were a small team with two very high-profile players.

So really, the season was more like a Cinderella season.

[Allen] I ain't have no pressure.

Basketball was just my love. It's what I do.

It's not just a two-man team like people say no more.

We got a good team. Try to win it all.

♪ Let my fuckin' style run ♪

♪ Nasty fuckin' green thumb Jolly Green... ♪

Allen Iverson, one of the top high school athletes in the country.

No stranger to college coaches, like Roy Williams

who called Iverson one of the best point guards he's seen in years.

[announcer] Bruins trail by three.

- For three! - [announcer 2] He's got it!

♪ Tony Danza, shoes wearin' ass ♪

[announcer] The Bruins have done it.

♪ B-b-black by popular demand, I expand ♪

♪ My hand to the mic... ♪

The impressive way you guys did it.

We got tired, man.

But we played hard. We wanted this man, first one.

Feels good. Two states in a row.

♪ Turn this shit off, G Boom the new record on ♪

[Allen] The only thing that probably was a problem in high school is

my girl went to another school.

That was tough. She went to Kecoughtan;

I went to Bethel.

My girl is still my girl 32 years later.

[Tawanna] Well, I don't refer to him as Allen Iverson.

[laughs] He's either Bubba Chuck or Ezail.

I call him by his middle name a lot.

I was with one of my teammates

and he was goin' with a girl from Kecoughtan.

[Tawanna] We went to a Bethel, Kecoughtan game.

My friends said somethin' about Bubba Chuck. Look at Bubba Chuck.

And I'm like, what the hell is Bubba Chuck?

[announcer] Iverson with the lob. Oh, nice!

[Allen] We're bangin' on the first play. My girl was there.

They had a bet, like, I can hook you up with one of my girls.

Like vice versa. You'll probably fall in love.

[Xavier] I was there when Allen and Tawanna met.

They kinda met at my house.

[Tawanna] We had a half day of school.

My friend's boyfriend actually picked us up from our school.

We went to his house and he brought Bubba Chuck.

We met when we were 16.

[Brandy] He was so excited.

Because he just thought she was the prettiest person he had ever seen.

He still to this day, tells me, you knew who I was. [laughs]

[Allen] I remember talkin' to her on the phone until it was just silence.

Both of us would just fall asleep.

[Tawanna] We were inseparable.

I just felt like it was real.

[Allen] I know how she feel about me.

[Tawanna] I think I fell in love with him just wantin' to be him.

Like, he never wanted to change who he was for anybody.

I've seen that from the beginning.

[man] I always thought that she had an amazing strength about her

that could manage his type of personality.

[Allen] Prom. I think I was wearin' a ten at that time.

And I had on a pair of eight and a half.

I think he had on sweat socks actually, with his too small shoes.

[man] You really could see the lumps, 'cause they was so small.

I mean, I was goin' through the most pain. I sat down every chance I get.

He complained about it. He didn't dance at all at prom.

After prom, it was like at a sports facility,

and he couldn't wait to get out of his dress shoes and play basketball.

[Allen] And she didn't like it too much.

But I'm the number one player in the country in both sports.

I wanted to win State, you know, for basketball.

'Cause I said, end of football season, that you know, I owe it to them,

you know, to lead them there. And, um, we did.

Recruited by every college in the land.

I wanted to go to Maryland to play with Joe Smith.

But I didn't think Maryland had a powerhouse football team back then.

So, I wanted to go to Notre Dame and play both sports.

Like, that's what I really wanted to do.

I think we can do it again, all over again.

In football and basketball.

[orchestral music stops]

[Allen] I've been with so many guys in my life

that were troublemakers, in and out of jail,

sellin' drugs, and hurtin' people.

[bass thumping]

And when I moved to Hampton, it shifted

to bein' around guys that didn't have that type of past.

You know, and I liked it.

It was Valentine's Day.

I knew I was supposed to be with Tawanna that night.

And I'm in there foolin' around with these guys.

You know, when I got in the bowling alley,

I seen a bunch of guys on my football team.

[man] Is the green light on?

[indistinct] Yeah, you tapin' me.

[man 2] I'm tapin' right now.

[Allen] First of all, one of the worst projects

was right across the street. So, in the bowlin' alley,

you got all of these people from these projects in there.

And then, you got these ten people from Poquoson.

[Alex] I remember Chuck walked to the bathroom,

and you know, there was a bunch of white people over there.

[pins knock]

[Allen] Argument started.

All hell broke loose.

[overlapping shouting]

First, when it was goin' on, I was watchin'.

And then, I seen somebody get beat real bad.

Throwin' punches and throwin' chairs and stuff.

And that's when it clicked in my head. Like, yo, it's time to go.

[man] He's like, I'm outta here. I heard him say it.

But there was so much goin' on. I know I was busy.

So, I didn't exactly see him leave.

[Ann] So, he came home. And he came rushin' in the house

all breathin' all hard, and all the friends with him and stuff.

And I was like, what you all makin' that noise for?

Then he said, Ma, I got hit with a chair in my head.

[man 12] He had a wound on the top of his head,

where he was hit with the chair,

or somethin' like that. I remember sayin',

hey, you may need to get that looked at. He's like, nah, I'll be okay.

[Ann] He ate, went upstairs.

I think he was on the phone with his friends.

[Allen] Yo, did you see that? Yo, I can't believe that happened.

[man 13] It was not perceived that that was gonna be something

that would carry forward beyond that night.

[Ann] The next day, cops at my door.

[Allen] Mo called me. You in trouble.

[Ann] So then, I'm nervous.

Virginia got a way of doin' Black guys.

[Allen] He took me down to the police station.

[Brandy] Out of all the people fightin', they singled out those three.

[Allen] I remember the guy showin' me five polaroids.

And he was like, I'mma put you in the pictures with these five pictures.

And if they pick you out, you know, we comin' to get you.

And I knew it was somethin' because I was 17.

And all of the guys in the pictures was like 30-somethin',

hair on their face.

And it's the easiest thing in the world

to pick out Allen Iverson outta those five pictures.

Coupled with the fact that I'm known all over Virginia.

So...

Allen, listen, you've had a lot of things written about you.

But you have put that behind ya.

[Tawanna] Being 17, you think everything's gonna be okay.

So, I think we just had faith

because he didn't do what he was bein' accused of.

What we have is just a plain old fight.

Black folk and white folk fighting.

[reporter] This morning, the Bethel High School basketball guard

was found guilty of maiming, and being a member of a mob.

By definition, there was no mob. A mob is an assembled group.

[Brandy] So, he knew somethin' was gonna come of it,

but I don't think he thought he was gonna go to jail.

I'll see y'all at home.

[dark music]

I'm goin' home.

After the conviction, I went to Nike camp.

And it was all everybody was talkin' about.

[announcer] On July 12th, two days after the Nike Festival concluded,

the highly touted Allen Iverson of Hampton, Virginia

was convicted of three felony counts

for taking part in a brawl in a Hampton bowling alley.

[announcer 2] Garnett with the offensive rebound.

Iverson to pick off and push on the dribble.

[announcer] Iverson, who has no prior convictions,

is allowed to stay in his mother's custody until his August 18th sentencing.

[Allen] And I heard later that it pissed a lot of people off.

[heavy bass thumping]

They waited around eight months just so they could try me as an adult.

[Larry Robinson] I think that that judge already knew what he was gonna do.

He wanted to teach him a lesson.

When it comes down to it, he wanted to make an example.

That judge can tear four Black people down right now.

[reporter] Prosecutor Colleen Killilea says they're alleging racism,

and they have no factual basis for that

other than the fact the defendant's Black and the victim's white.

[man] They want this boy to be submissive, passive.

[Ann] He told the truth. He did not lie.

[man 14] And we're just seeing a system determined to just break Allen Iverson.

[dark music crescendos]

[Allen] I asked my grandma...

you know, if He know I didn't do this, why is God lettin' this happen?

And she said, never question God.

And I never did again. I just don't do it.

I feel bad for what happened to those people

that night at the bowling alley.

'Cause I wouldn't want that to happen to nobody in any situation.

Judging regulation, you're assigned to a facility

for young men. You are sentenced to five years in prison.

[Allen] I was in disbelief. Um...

I was, I was shocked. I kept thinkin' about my career.

I just remember, man, seein' my little sister.

My baby sister, I had my baby sister then.

They had her behind the glass, and I just lost it.

[woman 2] You'll be all right.

[officer] Back up, back up.

[man 15] That don't make no sense.

[reporter] Iverson was charged with a serious felony.

Maiming with mob intent.

Although a juvenile at the time, Iverson was tried as an adult.

He was convicted in July, and last week, he was sentenced.

Fifteen years in prison. Ten of them suspended.

I think the judge, due to unjust pressure on the other side,

had to show that this kid is no better than anybody else.

I mean, if Allen Iverson wasn't in it, there wouldn't be a case.

I mean, they would've kicked it out in juvenile court.

[Joyce Hobson] We're very disturbed over the amount of time

that these young men have gotten. We still think it's way too severe.

The thing that really sticks out in my mind,

that these young men have no prior convictions.

This is way too harsh.

We're going to do what it is we have to do in terms of new strategies.

We're going to call in these national civil rights organizations.

This is not over yet.

[dark music]

[Allen] Survival is...

[music intensifies]

no choice.

Hampton is on trial.

Virginia's on trial.

And America's on trial right here.

I have no choice but to survive.

I depend on myself.

[pulsing dark music]

My family depends on me.

[Tom Brokaw] You said recently, Allen, you want to go back to a time

when no one knew who you were.

What'd you mean by that?

[explosive pulsing music]

[cooing]

[Allen] All I took was abuse.

I said, don't put me on camera, man. Don't do that.

[announcer] Fifty-two points for Iverson!

Trade him. Get rid of him.

Real life!

Pop, pop. I don't know how he missed me.

[reporter] Iverson will drink himself into oblivion.

- [overlapping chatter] - gambling his life away.

Just so you know,

I'm fightin' to get my baby outta jail.

[dark pulsing music]