Legacy without Championships
An athlete’s legacy and its dependence on championships won during their career has been a hotly debated topic. So what exactly is legacy in sports and how do we decide who gets to become a legend and who doesn’t? Legacy is how we remember an individual or institution, including the factors that led to that point such as life choices, impact, unforgettable moments and individual or team honours in their respective fields.
With this in mind, one would assume it is straightforward to decide who has the honour of achieving legendary status. This hasn’t been the case, a trend which can be attributed to the general view that an athlete’s legacy isn’t truly complete if they never won a championship or medal. In this article I will focus on former National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar, Allen Iverson, and why the lack of a championship should have no impact on the totality of his legacy.
Allen Iverson nicknamed AI or the “The Answer” was inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016, an award received by individuals who had an impact on the game of basketball. Despite never winning the NBA championship, he came close in the 2001 NBA Finals when the Lakers defeated the Sixers 4-1. In the basketball era of the early 2000s, there were few players more relevant both on and off the court than Iverson. On the court, he became the 1996 Rookie of the Year, 2001 NBA MVP, 11 time NBA All-Star, 2 time All-Star game MVP, and 4 time NBA scoring champion. Being one of the best ball handling point guards in the history of the game, highlights of Iverson as a rookie using the crossover move on arguably the greatest basketball player of all time; Michael Jordan, before hitting the mid-range shot still comes up till today. Iverson’s swagger which gave us his iconic shooting sleeves, cornrows, tattoos and fashion style got the attention of a lot of fans globally, as he paved the way for players and fans in the younger generation to be more expressive of their identity in their daily lives. Lebron James describes AI saying “He represented what black kids were all about and he resonated with every inner-city kid in the world who had a struggle”. He did get some criticism for being himself and staying true to his roots, but his ability and passion for the game when competing was never questioned.
Before Iverson’s NBA journey, he was the starting quarterback at Bethel High School in Virginia, leading the team to the state Class AAA football title in 1992. Iverson also led the basketball team to the State Championship and he was named the Associated Press High School Player of the Year for both sports. He eventually attended Georgetown where he played basketball and left his football career behind. He always had a plan and it was to make it through high school, go to college and earn a place in the NBA. His path there wasn’t straightforward, and he almost ruined his chances when him and a group of his friends were involved in an altercation which led to arrests, where he was later granted conditional clemency of finishing high school but not being allowed to participate in sports till college. A lot of colleges didn’t want him for this reason, except for Georgetown.
On June 26, 1996, the 76ers had the number 1 pick in the draft. Their pick was Allen Iverson, a 6-foot guard from Georgetown. In his first regular season game, Iverson was the only player to register 30 points. In a tall person’s sport like basketball, he was small but he excelled anyway channelling his underdog mentality and always leaving everything on the court. He wasn’t the first player in the NBA to have a small frame, but he certainly was one of the most famous. He was the cover athlete for the first 5 instalments of the popular NBA 2K game, so he was a lot more visible to the younger generation who believed they could one day be like AI. His sporting and cultural impact earned him a lifetime deal with Reebok where he earns $800,000 annually, and their CEO; Matt O’Toole stated that they believe he is an iconic basketball personality who continues to remain relevant for many of their customers, which made him worth it.
Iverson was brought up in the poverty stricken neighbourhood of Hampton, and he went through times when he and his mother couldn’t afford to pay bills and had to survive sometimes without house utilities. Despite his tough childhood, he focused on “the Plan” and is today a basketball legend and icon. In the words of AI “I took an ass-whooping for being me, but if I die today, I’d rather come back as me than anybody else. I took a beating for guys to be themselves, and I love the fact that now guys don’t have to conform.” How is that for legacy?