May 15, 2015
Watching Allen Iverson in his prime was the greatest show in sports, and Philadelphia was extremely lucky to play host to that show. While marveling at him darting in between screens, recklessly jumping into passing lanes, and accelerating full speed ahead to the cup, there was never a moment he was on the floor where you weren’t thinking about the possibility of such a unique brand of brilliance.
Oftentimes he would hit the deck extremely hard, slowly pull his 160-pound frame off the floor and do it all over again. That’s sort of the feeling I had when watching “IVERSON,” a 90-minute documentary spanning almost his whole life and career from birth up until retirement from basketball. All of his bumps and bruises are chronicled, but only briefly because there was always something else that needed to be covered. Fall down, but get back up and do it again.
Truth be told, the documentary is a bit of whirlwind, but in all fairness, so was Allen Iverson. The only event of his life that is allotted the time to get seriously unpacked is the 1993 ordeal at the Virginia bowling alley and four months in prison he spent because of it, subject matter that was previously put under the microscope by Steve James in his 30 for 30 “No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson.” It’s still a worthwhile reminder of some of the major obstacles he had to overcome to even make it to the NBA.
The trials and tribulations (and whether some of them were unfair) aren’t the only part of Iverson’s career that I came away wishing there was more time to talk about. For instance, the 2000-01 season when he won the league’s most valuable player award and led a severely undermanned Sixers team to the finals is basically chopped up into a few highlights. As a basketball fan, I’m interested in hearing former opponents reveal war stories about one of the most intense competitors the NBA has ever seen. I’m also curious if you could get any reaction from teammates on what it was like when he was jacking up 35 shots in a single game (OK, that’s probably wishful thinking). Off the court, we aren’t given much about Iverson’s reportedly tumultuous life after retirement, either.
So no, there’s nothing really new in this documentary, but that’s ultimately fine because the story is still plenty interesting. Iverson is interviewed what looks like a couple of times, and he’s still as candid as ever. For basketball fans, it’s a reminder of an NBA era much different from today and for Sixers fans, much of it is also a great piece of nostalgia.
In the end, I might be a tough grader. Maybe I expect more from an Iverson documentary than most because I already know the story well. 90 minutes probably isn't enough time to fully break down Iverson's life. Regardless, I’m glad I watched it.
One more thing: There are some extended A.I. high school football highlights in here, and they are freaking incredible.
“IVERSON” premieres tomorrow night on Showtime at 9 p.m.
