Allen Iverson Says Coaches 'Would Have Had a Big Problem' If They Asked Him to Rest

Allen Iverson understands why some NBA players rest, but he says his coaches "would have had a big problem" if they asked him to sit out games.

allen iverson in a beanie
USA Today Sports

Image via USA Today Sports/Noah K. Murray

allen iverson in a beanie

Allen Iverson’s practice habits may have been questionable, but nobody who watched him play basketball would ever question his desire and tenacity on the court. He was a warrior on those turn-of-the-century 76ers teams, and his will to win carried otherwise ragged teams to heights as high as the NBA Finals.

Perhaps it should be obvious AI would not be down with this resting thing going on in the NBA today. But during an interview with Jonathan Abrams for B/R Mag, Iverson said he understands the motivation behind resting star players but doesn't believe he'd be able to tolerate it himself:

To each his own. If coaches feel that that's the best way for them to succeed, then that's what you do. [Gregg] Popovich has been doing it for a while, and it's been successful for those guys. But for someone like me, it's something that I could never do, because I love to play so much. I just feel like I can rest once the game is over or rest me the next day at practice. (laughs)

Iverson stays away from the cranky "Get off my lawn" take many old NBA stars trot out these days, but the sentiment about rest is understandable. Competitors wired like Iverson don't want to pass up any opportunity to go toe-to-toe with other NBA teams, whether it's a primetime game against a contender or a back-to-back game against one of the league's worst teams.

His inability to turn the switch off might be why Iverson appears drawn to MVP candidate Russell Westbrook. Iverson has love and respect for a lot of the current players, but he thinks Westbrook's accomplishments in 2017 deserve recognition above the rest of the elite in the form of the NBA MVP award.

"It's just one of those years for Westbrook, and we should cherish it and love it for what it is," said Iverson, "because we never thought this would happen again, just like we never thought nobody will score 100 points like Wilt [Chamberlain] again. It's one of them years like you're supposed to give that to him hands down with the great season those guys are having."

There's really no wrong answer in the MVP race, but you have to wonder if Westbrook feels a kinship to Iverson given how much each guy had to do to keep their teams relevant in the absence of a second star player. Iverson's aversion and refusal to rest gives him something in common with the Oklahoma City star, and it's refreshing to see a former MVP show so much love to the players who grabbed the torch, instead of bickering about how the game has changed. 

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