Allen Iverson's EMOTIONAL Letter to Kobe Bryant (NBA Legends Tribute)

What's up? I'm former 76er, [music]

Georgetown Hoya, and NBA Hall of Famer

Alan Iverson. You might know me as the

answer or AI, but my friends call me

Chuck. [music] This is my story.

Originally written for the Players

Tribune.

Please be advised, this article contains

adult [music] language.

Dear Kobe,

this is going to be tough, [music] but I

need to get this off my chest.

Everybody, clear [music] out for me and

Kobe. Clear the paint for Chuck and Kobe

one last time. [music] Kobe being

Bryant, my guy. The first time I saw you

playing against [music] Black Jesus, you

were 18 years old. I knew you were a

killer. That's when I realized you were

going to be a legend in this game. You

were going hard at Michael Jordan

[music] that night. No fear whatsoever.

I mean, I knew from passing you in

traffic over the years [music] that you

were a dog. But when I saw you going at

Black Jesus like that, that's when I

knew you were a kindred spirit. We might

have grown up in different [music]

circumstances, but when I saw you on the

court and how hard you were going, I

knew we were raised with the same

[music] mentality. I wasn't tall, but in

my mind, I was going to be a giant out

there every single night. You were

[music] 66 and could score in your

sleep. But that wasn't even enough. You

was trying [music] to be the best that

ever did it. Everybody say they want to

be that, but not everybody is willing to

sacrifice [music] what it really takes

to do it. Remember when I came to LA the

first time, our rookie year? You picked

me up at the hotel and we went [music]

out to get something to eat and you

asked me what I was doing later. I said

I was going to the club. I mean, we're

in LA. I'm going to the club. Kobe, come

on, man. And what [music] you say? I'm

going back to the gym. You probably the

only dude in the history of the game

[music] where the mystique wasn't

exaggerated. The mamba was no myth, man.

It didn't even do you justice. [music] 1

2 3 in the morning, we knew where you

were. Me and you, every single time we

stepped on the floor, we were going to

war. But it wasn't an animosity thing.

There was [music] never beef. It was

like heavyweight fighters beating the

hell out of each other. And then at the

bail, it's nothing but love and respect.

Greatness needs company. And we needed

each other. [music] Mike needed Prince

like Prince needed Mike. Tyson needed

Holyfield like Holyfield needed Tyson.

[music]

Everybody needs that person to say, "Oh,

you the [ __ ] huh?" Well, I'm the [ __ ]

too. And you were the [ __ ] You were the

toughest man that I ever seen in this

game. [music] The most cold bloodooded

serial killer I've ever seen. The

fiercest competitor I've ever seen.

[clears throat]

I remember hearing the story that you

were on the road and you were watching

highlights of me [music] dropping 35 on

the Knicks at the Garden rookie year and

you got so mad you smashed up the hotel

and started researching me like you were

the CIA. Get me to file on AI. I bet it

was like that studying how great white

sharks hunt down seals in the Pacific

Ocean and whatnot.

What I love [music] about that story,

it's the truth. That was just our

relationship. Two dudes pushing each

other to greatness. The next time you

came through Philly, you were all up in

my [ __ ] There was no half stepping.

[music] Every first step, I had to go

aund. You were 66. And it was like you

wanted to guard me. You wanted the

[music] challenge. You wanted to show me

that you were the baddest [ __ ]

to ever play the game. And I ain't want

no part of Kobe on the other end, man.

Hell no. I ain't stopping you. Ain't

nobody stopping you. You [music] were

Kobe and you were going to do whatever

you wanted to do out there because you

were a sniper, an assassin, a cold

blooded killer. And now I'm talking

about you in the [music] past tense and

I still get emotional about it. It still

[music] don't seem real. You were my

guy.

The 2001 finals, we were going at each

other like fighters. Not on some beef or

hatred. [music]

That's what some people could never

understand. Not out of hate, out of

admiration, out of love. I can't tell

you how many pictures I've [music] seen

of me and you at the free throw line

talking [ __ ] and just smiling. Man, who

the hell loses the NBA scoring [music]

title averaging 33 a game? How the hell

you up me averaging 35 like that, man?

Why you had to do [music] that to me?

You had to do it because you you because

you Kobe [music] Bean Bryant. Because

you're a straightup giant. You probably

[music] watch me doing my thing on

Sports Center every night. Like 41, huh?

Let me get 43. See how you [music] like

that, Chuck? I was always confident. I

knew what I could do. I was a scorer. I

was a [music] winner. I did it my way. I

won some games, but you were a champion.

You got rings. You got rings on rings.

You were loved all over the damn world

and you were loved in my own house. My

oldest daughter loved Kobe Bryant. She

always wanted dad to win, don't get me

wrong, but she wanted Kobe to go off,

too. My kids used to be always hitting

me [music] talking about they wanted the

Kobe kicks when they came out. They were

rocking number eight and number 24

because you were one of their heroes.

And if I'm being honest about it,

[music] you are a hero to me, too. Even

though you were younger than me, I

looked up to you because of how much you

sacrificed, how much you gave to this

game. Anytime anybody asks me who's the

greatest of all time,

I ain't going to [music] [ __ ] you.

MJ is always number one. I know you'll

say the same thing. Black Jesus is the

goat. But number two, number two, I'm

always going to say Kobe Bryant. Nobody

was [music] tougher than you. Nobody got

more out of me. We're linked forever in

this game, in this life. I just wish

[music] we had more time.

It's funny. I don't know if I ever told

you this, [music] but one of my favorite

memories is coming to see you in LA when

they retired 8 and 24. [music]

Who the hell is so dope for so long they

get two different numbers up in the

rafters? [music]

I couldn't miss that moment for the

world. But you know what's crazy about

it? Everybody in [music] the Staple

Center was treating me like we won the

ring in 2001. Security was giving me all

types of problems when I was trying to

get down there to the floor. Man, y'all

won Los Angeles. I'm trying to get to

the court and congratulate you like

that's [music] my guy and security is

looking at me like I'm crazy. Y'all won.

Y'all got all the rings, man. I finally

got onto the floor [music] and I gave

you a hug and you were holding your baby

girl in your arms. That was a moment

I'll never forget. I was just so happy

to be there. [music]

I was happy to be a part of the legacy

that is Kobe being Bryant.

Where did time go, man? [music] The

first trip to LA feels like it was

yesterday. We were just kids with

everything [music] in front of us. You

asked me what I was doing later. I told

you I was going to the club. You told me

you were going back to [music] the gym.

I'll never forget that you're not here

on this earth anymore. [music]

But you're not gone either. You just say

the name Kobe Bryant and all the

memories come back in a split second. I

can see you pointing your finger up in

the air, walking off the court after you

dropped 81 [music] on Toronto. I can see

you jumping in the air just like Mike

after you won the title. I can see you

standing there next to me at the free

[music] throw line, smiling, not even

saying anything, just looking at me like

it's on. Chuck, those memories ain't

going nowhere. And yeah, we going to

cry. We're still going [music] to cry

sometimes when we remember that you

really gone. But we going to smile

[music] like a [ __ ] every time

we think of the memories.

I don't really know how it's supposed to

close out a letter like this. I don't

really know how to say goodbye to an NBA

legend, a father, a husband, a friend. I

don't really have a words. All I know is

love you, bro. Sincerely, child.