| Iverson Still Getting No Respect Authored by J.T. Magee - November 21, 2006 - 2:56 pm
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"It was just tough, just to see somebody die for something senseless like that, over a jersey, over something material,” Iverson said before the 76ers game against Seattle. For someone who is so frequently portrayed negatively in the media, it says a lot about a man if he’s willing to take some of the money he earns on the basketball court to pay for something most people wouldn’t touch.
I’ve always been a fan of Iverson. He’s barely 5’11” in shoes and may weight 180 dripping wet. He may be one of the smallest men on the court, but the guy can play ball. Who in the NBA can do what he does on the court? He hustles everywhere, although age has started to take its toll on his recklessness. He has golden touch on his shot, even if he goes 2-11 in some games. He’s become a more traditional basketball player in the past couple of seasons, putting up MVP-like numbers for a team that won’t be in the playoffs for another couple of years. He’s paid his dues on the court, but it’s about time people see what he means to people off the court.
I’ll be the first to admit jerseys are a bitch to afford. I want almost every single jersey of a player. I want a James Singleton jersey because he crashes the boards. I want a Monta Ellis jersey because this kid is starting to blow up, and he’s barely 20. I want an Andris Biedrins jersey because he’s one of the only people who can get the play-by-play announcer to yell with pure joy that he made two free throws. I want a Stephen Graham jersey, all four of them, but mainly Portland’s, because it took teams 2+ years to see the talent he has. (He’s currently starting for Brandon Roy.) I want a Nene jersey because he had the most dominant contract year I’ve ever seen. (He parlayed two minutes into 6 years and $60 mill.)
These jerseys are hard to come by because of the hefty price. Authentics run around $170. That’s before shipping. Replicas can go from $40 for kid’s jersey to $60 for adult sizes. Throwbacks are way too expensive, even though the historical aspect of wearing a Jackie Robinson jersey is worth it. I have no idea how much football jerseys cost, although I can imagine they’re even more expensive since you can’t go anywhere in America on Sundays without seeing flocks of guys and girls sporting them.
But are they worth taking somebody else’s life?
It’s vain of me to sit here in the comforts of my own home and gripe about this since I’ve been blessed with never having to live in a poor living situation. It’s just morally wrong for someone to take away what was given to that person. People have to scrap to get money and that’s understandable and I may be naive to what goes on everyday in the streets of big cities, but the man who lost his life over a jersey was screwed over. He loved Iverson for being himself on the court. The tats will always be there, as will the hustle. But we should all pay our respects to Iverson for putting up the money for Mr. Kevin Johnson’s funeral.
Some people may look at this as a fluff piece about a guy who only cares about himself on the court. It’s not Iverson’s fault his team has been poorly built around him for almost his entire career. The exception was the year Philadelphia went to the NBA Finals. That team was built around defense, rebounding and making the necessary shots so Iverson could do his thing. The team these days has little depth and very little defense or ball movement in the offense. But even if Iverson can’t win it by himself, at least he can walk off the court with pride, knowing that he’s done the best he can.
This is the point in time where I’m supposed to come up with a nice ending. Something fitting that can make this thrown-together article work. I just can’t. It’s not happening. There’s nothing nice about a life lost over a jersey. There’s nothing nice about Iverson continuing to play despite never having the chance to win an NBA Championship again. There’s nothing nice about people in the media, including myself, who take what these athletes do on the court for granted. But there is something nice about Iverson showing he’s human enough to help out a family stricken by the loss of a loved one. It’s about time we pay our respects to athletes who go out of their way to help others.
That a good enough ending for everyone? |
