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10 Years Ago Today, Allen Iverson Talked About Practice

A lot has happened on the May 7ths of history. Germany surrendered in World War II. New Orleans was founded in 1718. Luminaries like philosopher David Hume and Johnny Unitas were born. But one event from May 7 stands out – nay, towers above the rest, rendering everything else that has ever happened on this day a non-entity. Yes, you can have your turning point in the Second World War, because one decade ago today, the Allen Iverson “practice” press conference happened:

What made it such a sensation? On the surface, Iverson’s pretty calm. He’s not raising his voice much – he’s just using it to say that word – the word is “practice,” for the uninitiated – over and over. The repetition is part of the lasting impact. The fact that Iverson was such a lightning rod of course contributed as well, so there was an, “Oh, there goes AI being controversial again” aspect to it. But overall, this was really a pretty calm display for something that’s entered sports rant lore. But while it might not be easy to explain why it endures, there’s no question it does. All these years later, and we’re still talking about practice.