Allen Iverson, "The Answer"
Red Carpet, Springfield Symphony Hall, Last Night
Springfield, MA is fortunate to have the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall
of Fame located within the city. Area residents should be very proud of this and
do everything possible to support it and bring visiting friends and relatives
for a tour. Not too long ago, before the new Hall of Fame was built, there was
talk of moving it to another location, including the possibility of Orlando,
Florida. Last night's Enshrinement Ceremonies were gala events with basketball's
star studded visitors to the city.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in the 2016 class were NBA
standouts Shaquille O.Neal, Yao Ming, and Allen Iverson; Sheryl Swoopes who led
Texas Tech to a national title, then starred for the WNBA Houston Comets;
Michigan Sate Coach, Tom Izzo; and Chicago Bulls owner, Jerry Reinsdorf. Also
elected, posthumously, were player, Zelmo Beaty; Coach, John Mclenon; and
referee, Darrell Garretson. The events yesterday included a VIP Gala Reception
at the Hall of Fame; a "Red Carpet" event on the steps of Springfield's Symphony
Hall; and the Enshrinement Ceremonies inside Symphony Hall. (The Hall looked
great, by the way!)
In addition to the inductees, wow ! ; the star studded list of visitors to
the city was mind boggling. This is just a small sampling, can't remember them
all: Celtics great Bill Russell, UMass and NBA great, Julius (Dr. J) Erving,
Georgetown Coach John Thompson, NBA great and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, Hall
of Famer, Bill Walton, sports journalist Stephen A. Smith, 3 time Hall of Famer
as a player, a coach, and as an assistant coach with the USA "Dream Team", Lenny
Wilkins and so many more.
Just a few side stories...while at UMass students and fans used to come to
games at the "Cage" (prior to the Mullins Center) an hour early just to watch
Dr. J warm up. At that time dunking was not allowed in games, but Dr J put on a
show before the games. He packed the house just for that! Lenny Wilkins, one of
my all time favorites, was not only a great player and coach, but a great guy.
It was so nice to see him being gracious to fans in posing for photos, talking
to them, and signing autographs. In college he played for Providence. A person
that I met at VIP Gala Reception was "Mr. Rip City", Bill Schonley. He is the
play by play guy for the Portland Trail Blazers. He is currently 87 years old
and still doing the play by play announcing after 46 years! We talked about the
days when Bill Walton led the Trail Blazers to the NBA Championship and what a
great player he was. He also reminded me that the Celtics General Manager, Danny
Ainge played for the Trail Blazers before playing for the Celtics. All
interesting stuff.
The most interesting highlight of the Enshrinement Ceremonies to me was
that surrounding inductee, Allen
Iverson. Here is a guy that is only 6 feet tall (some
say 5' 10" or 5' 11") weighing only 165 lbs, and what he was able to accomplish.
Many don't know this but in addition to basketball he was a sensational football
player in high school as a quarterback, running back, kick-off returner, and as
a defensive player. In fact he was named Associated Press Player of the Year in
BOTH basketball and football. Don't know whether that has ever been done before.
Unfortunately he gained a "thug" reputation for a bowling alley brawl while in
high school where he was accused of striking a woman with a chair. I believe he
was falsely accused, but he ended up spending time in jail. That incident erased
all his many opportunities for college scholarships for basketball and football,
nobody wanted him. During the induction ceremony Iverson stated "Coach Thompson
(Georgetown) saved my life". There is a great television documentary entitled
Iverson that reveals what happened during this era and
more. It is an eye opener and places everything into perspective.
Iverson, while he was "growing up" made a lot of mistakes, that's for sure.
He will be the first to admit that. But underneath it all, I believe that there
is a good guy...and a sensational basketball player...and I mean
sensational. I watch sports out of interest and to be
entertained. There wasn't one game that I can remember that when I watched Allen
Iverson play where he didn't do something in the game that brought me right out
of my chair by doing something amazing. A guy 6 foot tall and 165 lbs, playing
against giants, yet he accomplished some dramatic and amazing things out there
on the court. He entertained me. During the Enshrinement, in the balcony at
Symphony Hall, there was a large and cheering crowd of fans from Philadelphia,
just everyday folks,...there to show their appreciation to Allen.
Iverson was interviewed on the Red Carpet before the Enshrinement
Ceremonies and was asked what stood out in making him accomplish what he did.
His response was "My faith in God and
believing in myself".
Every aspiring athlete should remember those words.
A great night in Springfield,
Alfredo DiLascia
Image News Service
No comments:
Post a Comment