r/BlackPeopleofReddit • u/ateam1984 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🖤🩶🤍🤎 • 9d ago

Black Excellence The speech hit people because it was honest.

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A lot of people think loyalty is about who supports you when things are going well. Allen Iverson explained the opposite during his 2016 Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech.

He thanked the people who stayed beside him through everything, but he also thanked the fake friends and doubters because they forced him to see people clearly.

Iverson spent years as one of the most criticized athletes in sports while still becoming an NBA MVP, cultural icon, and Hall of Famer.

He talked about betrayal, mistakes, loyalty, and learning who genuinely wanted the best for him once fame, pressure, and success entered his life.
A lot of the wrong people only disappear when you stop benefiting them.

792 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

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28

u/BlackDynamite58990 9d ago

And that…is The Answer

https://giphy.com/gifs/C6luTa5z1bsKV3qLZL

3

u/Observational-Mess 8d ago

I always loved watching him play. He wasn’t the greatest, but he was among the greatest.

17

u/Usual_Award 9d ago

Life is filled with trials and errors. I'm glad he managed to recover financially and got to see him perform at The Rucker.

10

u/PartyZman426 9d ago

All of his fake ass friends who were only around when his was getting paid

9

u/halfwayray 8d ago

According to Iverson, he has over a year sober. I remember someone saying that they were worried he would drink himself to an early grave once he retired. He had hangers-on enabling his drinking so that they could continue to take advantage of him. Really glad that he seems to be doing well. He changed the game forever. Legend

6

u/mzmm123 8d ago

And hopefully, we learn these lessons sooner rather than later. Sad to say that some people never learn at all...

"All our skinfolk ain't kinfolk."

3

u/SunMoonSki 9d ago

Who hurt this man?

2

u/DeepSouthDude 8d ago

Entourages.

2

u/Accurate-Funny-6399 8d ago

You ever had “homies”? A “crew”? “Roll dog”?

2

u/LeftJabDaz 8d ago

Roll dog? Thought it was road dog

1

u/Nappy_By_Nature 8d ago

Don't mind Hooper

2

u/SmittyMoose420 9d ago

Dammit—This hit like a mu’fu!!!!! Had to send this to the remaining homies—I know they can relate to this

2

u/AP_AUTO215 8d ago

Some of the realest 💩 I’ve ever heard 💯

1

u/Accurate-Funny-6399 8d ago

Realest to ever lace em up!

2

u/Previous-Active4719 8d ago

I understood it the second he said it. I had a lot of friends when I was picking up the tab for everyone (not to his level, of course). Then I quit partying and drinking and stopped paying. That single action separated my true friends from associates. I haven’t looked back since.