Written by Zach Harper | 28 July 2009

Before we start anything in this post, you should watch this video (via Bill Simmons):



We rarely get to experience these heartfelt moments in this age of internet media in which we make fun of those who fall and try to think of a better dick joke to top the one someone just said about <insert sports story here>. But with this speech, you have to feel good about what Allen Iverson is doing with his scholarship program and see that this isn't just a tax write-off or a foundation to give his friends a legit salary.

Allen Iverson is remembered as the guy who thought talking about practice was preposterous. He's remembered as the guy that shot too many times and wasn't a team player. He's remembered as the kid who got arrested and covered his body in ink. He released a rap album that wasn't received well by old white people who run leagues and companies. He was arrested for domestic violence and crazy acts only to have the charges disappear. He's remembered as a thug and a bad role model.

But that's not reality. He's maybe one of the top team players to ever lace up the kicks. He has sacrificed his body just so his team could come out on top. He dislocated his shoulder and came back within a couple of days instead of the initial six weeks that he was supposed to miss. He carried the 76ers to the NBA Finals despite the fact that they had arguably the least amount of basketball talent that any conference champion has ever had. He's a "selfish" player that has averaged 6.2 assists per game for his career (good for 36th all time).

He's also someone that cares about the kids he's touched. He had a bad image because he didn't care about winning over the people buying season tickets and supporting the sponsors of the NBA. He cared about connecting with the kids of those people and that's exaclty what he did over the past 13 years.

Judge him and label him whatever way you seem fit. That won't matter because the people that matter to him see him the correct way. He is a hero to many and deservedly so. At some point, the daggers thrown unfairly his way do hurt him as he stated above. But all that should matter to him is the positive way he's touched the lives of kids like the two young men who will have their college education paid for thanks to Allen Iverson.

Watch that video one more time. See the heart that he shows.

Thanks for brining this to light, Sports Guy.

UPDATE: Somehow I missed this back then but Henry Abbott had this over at TrueHoop on July 10th.

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