New documentary gets inside Allen Iverson's life

IF YOU PUT aside what you think you know about Allen Iverson, the documentary "Iverson" is a fascinating look into the soul of one of the most beloved, yet controversial, sports figures to perform in Philadelphia.

Produced and directed by Zatella Beatty, "Iverson" debuts tonight at 9 o'clock on Showtime.

The documentary, which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival, tells of the circumstances that turned a kid who could have been swallowed up by life in the projects into a man who became an unlikely international cultural icon through his basketball skills and stubborn anti-establishment personality.

Yes, "Iverson" is mostly onesided.

The narrative is almost exclusively from Iverson's perspective. That is most noticeable when the film delves into some of the shadier incidents associated with him.

It does not run away from many of the controversial legal and professional issues that have lowlighted Iverson's life, but those viewers with deeper background and understanding of those situations will recognize that the pictures painted do not necessarily incorporate all of the hues and values.

To be fair, Showtime has not tried to represent "Iverson" as something it is not. Its promotional releases say this exploration of the life and career of the 11-time All-Star is told "largely in Iverson's own words."

It does that well, and that's what made the film enjoyable.

If you think about everything you know about Iverson, his perspective is the one most people have never heard.

"It was paramount that Allen tell his story," said Beatty, who had a role in "Sister Act" and whose producing credit includes "The Salon." "He's an icon who changed both the NBA and popular culture.

"It was vital that he tell us about his journey in his own words."

I covered Iverson's entire Sixers career, and he is one of the most fascinating personalities I have ever met. The one thing I always wanted to do was just sit down and talk with him - not about Allen Iverson the basketball player but Allen Iverson the person.

I wanted to hear what he thought about how he got to where he is and how he became who he is. This film answers some of those questions.

What stand out in "Iverson" are the personal sides we rarely saw. This is done using home videos and pictures that give glimpses of Iverson when his guard is down and his reflections are not filtered.

For those who care only about Iverson as an athlete, the videos of him playing football and basketball as a child and then at Bethel High School demonstrate how truly gifted he was.

His raw ability is so obvious, you realize the only thing that could have stopped Iverson would have been Iverson.

That is the crux of "Iverson."

It is the story of a ridiculously talented kid who, sometimes through circumstance and sometimes by choice, walked a tightrope between ultimate success and crippling failure.

You hear the passion in the words of those who desperately wanted to help Iverson navigate those challenges and the sense of fear that they could not.

Through the people who grew up with him and videos chronicling it, you get a better understanding of the man affectionately called "Bubba Chuck."

There is some discussion of his relationship with his ex-wife Tawanna Iverson. As you see Iverson interact as a young father, you sense his pain as the stable family structure he always longed for could not be held together as he rose to become a cultural icon.

Of course, the elephant in Iverson's life is addressed in great length. You see how, when and why he transformed from a gregarious kid who loved being the center of attention into an emotionally scarred and suspicious introvert whose inability to fully trust did not allow him to fully enjoy what he sowed.

"We had to gain [Iverson's] trust first, and found out that it takes a really long time to get there," Beatty said. "Allen has to know that you're for real before he'll open up to you. I think we showed him that we were."

The turning point is obvious - Feb. 14, 1993, the night of the infamous brawl at the bowling alley that forever altered a 17-year-old Iverson's perspective of people and the world around him.

Again, the home videos make this part of the story compelling. There are video images of Iverson and his friends bowling and there are images of the brawl.

I will leave it up to you determine for yourself who that blurred image appearing to head for the exit just as the chaos spiraled out of control is.

Iverson was convicted of maiming by mob, one of the least used statutes in Virginia. Even though there were no serious injuries, he got a 15-year prison term with 10 years suspended. He later was pardoned by then-Gov. Doug Wilder.

There is a fascinating video of Iverson and the three other young men who were also charged and convicted, sitting in Iverson's bedroom talking about what they thought would happen the night before the penalty phase of their trial began.

"The videos actually came from people very close to Allen," said Beatty, who said she spent close to five years completing the project. "I don't know if he even knew they still had them.

"I know he was a little blown away the first time he saw them in the documentary. It is important to mention that some of the home movies' footage, especially of the bowling-alley trial, was incredibly difficult to get. The wounds in the community from that trial were still raw after 15 years, and the owner of the video didn't even tell us about it for a couple of years.

"He was definitely nervous about giving us the tape. It took months to make him comfortable enough to do it."

Like everything else in the documentary, this bowling-alley incident is told from Iverson's viewpoint. It is not surprising that the actions of the judicial system in Virginia are not shown in a positive light.

It would have been informative to have a real-time perspective from some of the prosecutors involved in the case to balance things.

If you think Iverson was a victim of politics and racism, your resolve would be strengthened.

If you always thought he was guilty, you likely will not be moved enough to change your mind.

Still, it is an interesting mini-study of American society, culture and race relations.

The tough love from former Georgetown coach John Thompson is rightfully highlighted. On Thompson's watch, Iverson won Big East Rookie of the Year in his freshman season and led the Hoyas to the Big East championship and the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in his sophomore season.

Sixers fans will not feel shortchanged. Iverson's relationship with Philadelphia is well explored. The game highlights will bring a smile of nostalgia for better times.

Iverson's tenure in the city is discussed through the off-court controversies, as well as his on-the-court excellence.

Of course, the infamously legendary "practice" news conference is thoroughly examined.

Former Sixers president Pat Croce and former head coach Larry Brown have large roles in telling Iverson's story as a Sixer. The dynamics among the three explain how the Sixers grew to excellence in reaching the 2001 NBA Finals, but also how that excellence could never be sustained.

Key elements missing include any sort of conversations with his Iverson's Sixers teammates - particularly Aaron McKie and Eric Snow. Both were still with Iverson after Croce and Brown skipped out, taking the good times with them.

The downward spiral of Iverson's career as a Sixer is probably more telling than the rise. His tale as a Sixer cannot be properly understood without the voice of McKie, who was like a big brother to him, and Snow, the point guard who had to navigate Iverson's incredible but sometimes chaotic skill set.

"Allen was arguably the most popular athlete in the world at the time we started, and we thought we were going to do a piece on him reflecting on his rise to the top," said Beatty, who originally thought the film could be done in two years at the most. "What we didn't count on was the trades and the downward spiral that happened shortly after we began.

"Allen's life has always been sort of a roller coaster. We didn't realize we were at the very top of the ride and headed for a serious dip. We had no choice but to follow him until his story came to some kind of close, and that took several years."

Also, no disrespect to ESPN reporter and cultural critic Robert "Scoop" Jackson, who talks about Iverson several times in the film, but if there was one journalist meant to reflect on Iverson's career and impact on society, it must be ESPN commentator and former Inquirer columnist Stephen A. Smith.

The inclusion of NBC journalist Tom Brokaw was effective, but no journalist had a more complex and in-depth relationship with Iverson than Smith.

The NBA's reaction to Iverson's elevation to a cultural icon is a case study in how big business struggles to adjust to profitable, but not necessarily welcomed change.

Iverson struggled with fully understanding his growing influence and the enormous responsibilities that accompanied it.

One common theme throughout the entire film is the symbiotic relationship between Iverson and his much older lifelong friend and business adviser Gary D. Moore, who was viewed by some in Philadelphia as a "hanger-on" and negative influence.

"Iverson" explains why that connection is unbreakable to this day and why Moore was vital to Iverson not completely slipping off the edge and becoming another statistic lost to perils of life in urban America.

Asked what surprised her most in making the film, Beatty replied: "First, what a complex person Allen Iverson is. There is a fascinating, complicated guy underneath the tough-guy media image, and I hadn't expected that.

"It takes a special person to endure and overcome the things he did and then go on to achieve the success he did. I didn't really understand his journey and how that journey shaped him until I did this film."

Perhaps the opening moments of "Iverson" sum up the film the best. A group of African-American kids are playing basketball outside the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula.

One proudly exclaims Iverson is his cousin, and the group begins to discuss his traits, many of their observations surprisingly negative.

Finally, one child says, "I take up for him in basketball, but I don't think I'll take up for him in public."

"Iverson" is Allen Iverson telling the story of how he believes his legacy got to that point.

Columns: ph.ly/Smallwood