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Blown over Iverson, Sixers clear the air after latest exchange
Posted: Sunday April 23, 2000 11:26 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- The latest storm between Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers blew over as quickly as it started. Management apologized Sunday for upsetting its star guard, and Iverson said he was sorry for taking the focus off the one-game lead the 76ers have on the Hornets. Iverson, who scored a career playoff-high 40 points in Saturday's 92-82 win over Charlotte, assailed general manager Billy King after the game for what he perceived as a lack of respect from the organization. The 10-minute rant started after Iverson was asked if he felt like Philadelphia's team leader. He said he didn't because he wasn't treated like one. He pointed to a quote in a Charlotte newspaper in which King said there had to be some "soul-searching" from both Iverson and management for the relationship to work. Iverson said the comment shocked him and made him feel as if he is treated like the "12th player on the bench." King and Iverson met Saturday night at the team hotel and quickly patched up their differences before the dispute could become a distraction for the 76ers, who play the Hornets in Game 2 on Monday night. "I said if I hurt his feelings, I apologize," King said Sunday. "He accepted my apology, and we're here today, 1-0. It's over in our eyes."
King said his quote wasn't meant as a rebuke or an attempt to send a message to Iverson, who has been criticized for being late to practice and was suspended for a game in Miami for missing a shootaround. "I think I was just saying that everybody in this organization, we've got to figure out how to make this thing work," King said. "We've all got to get together on the same page to make this work." Philadelphia coach Larry Brown, who has had his share of clashes with his star guard, said the blowup occurred because Iverson didn't know the context of the quote. "I heard what was told to him, and if they had read the whole article, I didn't think it was a negative thing," Brown said. "Billy said it was a work in progress, and I think Allen would be the first one to admit that." Iverson was initially reluctant to discuss the situation again on Sunday, saying he wanted to "keep it in the family." "I feel like everything is fine," he said. "I just apologize to everybody in Philly for even having the discussion. But that was something that was on my mind, something I felt like I had to get off my chest." But Iverson later reiterated that he didn't feel like the 76ers franchise player but refused to elaborate. "I just don't feel that way," he said. "It's a lot of things, but I don't want to talk about that. I want this thing to blow over as fast as it can." King, meanwhile, just laughed when asked if Iverson is treated as poorly as he claims. He said he subscribes to a theory of treating everybody fairly, but not equally. "I think that works. You can't treat everybody equally because sometimes circumstances arise, but you can treat everybody fairly," he said. Because he follows that theory, King apologized to Iverson, even though he stands by the initial comment. "He was hurt; I could hear it in his voice," King said. "And I apologized for hurting him. Being in an organization is like being in a family -- you don't let someone in your family feel hurt." Iverson had been told about King's comments hours before Game 1, but dismissed any notion that his anger fueled his 40-point performance. "I am going to play the same, regardless if there was an article in the paper that said I was getting traded the next day," he said. "I would still give the same effort, because I owe that to my teammates."
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