Allen Iverson turned 50 recently. That’s right, we talkin’ about middle age. Not his prime. Not his prime. Not his prime. Middle age. I mean, how silly is that?
He remains the most compelling figure in Sixers history, a terrific player who emerged as an influencer before anybody knew what that was. Think about it: How many tats and cornrows did you see before AI came along? He made both commonplace, both mainstream.
He played recklessly and lived recklessly. We couldn’t bear to watch. We couldn’t help but watch. And if the odds sometimes seemed stacked against him reaching this birthday, here he is, still synonymous with the team that employed him for over a decade.