Allen Iverson Denies Allegations That He Was Drunk During 'Practice' Rant

Former NBA MVP Allen Iverson, according to a new book by Kent Babb called Not a Game: The Incredible Rise and Unthinkable Fall of Allen Iverson., apparently went on his legendary 2002 "practice" rant while inebriated. 

However, Iverson denied the allegations to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith:

The book discusses the notorious press conference through interviews conducted with former Philadelphia 76ers president Pat Croce, general manager Billy King and head coach Larry Brown. 

Citing the book, the report claims King suggested Iverson talk to reporters a few days after Boston eliminated Philadelphia from the playoffs:

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The news conference came on the heels of Iverson showing up late for a meeting with Brown, then arguing with Brown about the player's future in the parking lot of the team facility. According to the book, Iverson asked Brown -- who days earlier had said any Sixer could be traded -- if he was on the block. Brown said no. 

After his talk with Brown, Iverson left with a friend and returned later for the news conference. "I assumed he went and fooled around somewhere," Brown said, tipping his hand up like a bottle, the author wrote in the book.  

Before the news conference, King said he could tell that something was off about Iverson, but "if we thought that he was drinking or whatever, we'd have never done it."  

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"He was lit. If he had been sober, he would have been able to get himself out of that," John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News was quoted as saying, via ESPN.com. "He never would've gone down that path. Maybe you had to have been around him all the time to know the difference, but we all knew."

At his retirement press conference in 2013, Iverson described his side of the story:

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It wasn't just about that I didn't like practice or didn't care about practice or anything like that. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would have never did the interview. But as far as how I expressed practice, practice, practice over and over again, I wouldn't take that back, because obviously that sound bite is great for the media, it's great for the fans, they love it, but they had no idea that my best friend had just got killed.

They had no idea that the press conference wasn't about practice. The press conference was about me not being traded from Philadelphia. That's what I thought I was sitting down at the podium to talk about. … You never heard anything about the reason that I was upset.

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Iverson is one of the most iconic players of his generation, and the press conference in question is arguably one of the most memorable in sports history.