A.I. TV: Allen Iverson's Greatest YouTube Moments

Image via Complex Original

We've enjoyed pretty much all of the 30 for 30 documentaries from ESPN so far, but we're especially looking forward to tomorrow night's premiere: No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson. Why? Because A.I. is probably the most divisive athlete of our generation; every aspect of his career, from his high school years to his recent "retirement," has been shrouded in controversy. Dude just has a 2Pac-esque way of stirring up shit--and like 'Pac, A.I. will live forever through the memories of his craziest moments. So, to prep you for tomorrow's ESPN premiere, we ranked A.I.'s best clips on YouTube, from crossing MJ to the infamous "practice???" soundbite and much more...

When: 3/9/1996

Moment: Ray Allen vs. A.I. Two of the premier scorers of the era traded baskets back and forth in that year's Big East final at Madison Square Garden.

Complex Says: UConn won that game 75-74, only months before both were chosen within the top five of that year's draft class. Ray Allen and UConn won that day, but being the #1 pick in the draft and a multi-million dollar contract isn't a bad consolation.

When: 1990-1994

Moment: Those from VA know that Iverson had just as many skills as a quarterback and special teams player as he had on the hardwood at Bethel High School.

Complex Says: We already know what a lot of white people are thinking: black athletes x VA = Bad Newz.

When: 2/11/2001

Moment: The Answer returned to his second home (D.C.), to drop 25 points in the East's comeback victory over the West at the All-Star game.

Complex Says: We could tell that Stern wanted to give the trophy to the leagues then-Golden boy Kobe Bryant, but back in '01 no one could front on A.I.

When: 2001

Moment: Back when A.I. was the league's MVP and Jada was begging Puff for The Lox's publishing, the two linked up with The Trackmasters for this commercial collabp.

Complex Says: Nice track for a commercial and all, but how did reps at Reebok figure it was a good idea to give Jada more face time than A.I. in his own commercial?

When: 6/26/1996

Moment: In a draft class that included fellow future-NBA MVPs Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, the undersized point guard from Georgetown beat out all the competition for the top spot in the draft.

Complex Says: Think A.I. wasn't one of the league's gulliest from the beginning? Peep how the hat is donned and immediately cocked to the side.

When: 12/3/2009

Moment: After failed stints in Detroit and Memphis, Iverson was overcome with emotion after getting the opportunity to play again for the 76ers, where he spent 10 seasons and was a seven-time All-Star, four-time scoring champ, and two-time All-Star Game MVP.

Complex Says: No happy endings here as Iverson's return lasted a mere 25 games before he took an indefinite leave to attend to his sick daughter. A.I. would have a real reason to cry a couple weeks later when his wife filed for divorce right around the time reports came out that he had serious gambling and alcohol addictions.

When: 4/19/1998

Moment: The 5-foot-11 point guard got so high for a putback dunk that he ended up sitting on the shoulders of the Toronto Raptors' 6-foot-11 center, Marcus Camby.

Complex Says: The good thing for Camby is that, as far as we know, there was no poster made of this.

When: 6/6/2001

Moment: Tyronn Lue drew the assignment of trying to guard Allen Iverson in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. A.I. proceeded to drop 48 points (not all on Lue), including seven in overtime, and stepped over him after hitting the three that sealed the game.

Complex Says: At least we'll remember Lue for something.

When: 3/12/1997

Moment: Coach Phil Jackson made the mistake of instructing Michael Jordan to D up the rookie, Iverson, who ended up completely breaking his ankles with a mean crossover followed by a jumper that hit nothing but net.

Complex Says: When Charles Barkley dismissively referred to the Answer as the "Playground Rookie Of The Year," he was probably basing it plays like this, which isn't a bad thing in our book.

When: 5/7/2002

Moment: After Larry Brown criticized Iverson's practice habits, he held this classic press conference to make it clear that while he appreciated Brown, they had differing views on the importance of practice.

Complex Says: Good enough for our Soundboard. Yep!