Mercurial former NBA superstar Allen Iverson has made his best crossover yet: He dropped drinking.
The basketball hall of famer – who was known for his stunning dribbling skills and scoring process in his playing days – revealed that he has been sober for six months in a recent interview.
While speaking with Maurice DuBois for CBS Mornings, the Philadelphia 76ers great called his choice the best he ever made.
“One of my best decisions that I ever made in my life was to stop drinking,” Iverson told DuBois, adding that it had been six months since making the change.
Iverson also said that he is feeling “better than I did when I was doing it.
“When you get drunk, you’re not how you usually are,” Iverson said. “The more and more I see it on other people, the more and more it makes me happy about the decision. And the more and more I see how the people around me appreciate it, I love it.”
Iverson, who is promoting his new memoir, Misunderstood, also spoke about his infamous “practice” rant during the interview.
“I never came out and said I didn’t like practice,” Iverson said. “That’s a perception that you got from that rant, that legendary rant.”
He admitted that there was more going on at the time — “You think you know, but you have no idea” — and that he “could’ve explained myself a little better.”
Iverson, who starred for the Georgetown Hoyas before being drafted first overall in 1996, also commented on current state of college basketball, with players now receiving financial compensation through NIL rights. While some current NCAA players are earning hundreds of thousands of dollars, Iverson says that they’re still “not getting paid enough.”
During his 14-year NBA career, Iverson was an 11-time all-star while playing for the Sixers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies. He averaged 26.7 points and 6.2 assists per game over his career and won the NBA MVP in 2001.