THE CITY OF Philadelphia has always had a soft spot in its heart for Allen Iverson. The 6-foot guard from Georgetown put the Sixers on his slight shoulders and somehow lifted them to the NBA Finals in 2001. It was such an inspiring run that people in this town still catch themselves thinking the Sixers actually won the championship that year.
That’s the effect Iverson had on us. A year later came the “practice” rant. It was part funny, part I-told-you-he-was-clueless, part sad.
The “part funny” might become just a memory when you read Kent Babb’s latest book, “Not a Game: The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson” in which he writes that Iverson had been drinking before that rant.