"We might be talking about the greatest player" - Larry Brown says Allen Iverson would have been GOAT if he coached him the right way

Larry Brown reckons Allen Iverson could have been the greatest of all time if he had coached him the right way. Brown was the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers when Iverson won the MVP in 2001, taking the team to the NBA Finals that same year.

On NBA TV's new special titled 'Everything But the Chip: The 2001 76ers', Brown discussed the difficulties of coaching someone like Iverson. "The Answer" had all the potential in the world, including the heart and the skills to be one of the G.O.A.T.s.

However, Iverson lacked discipline, which was often the source of friction between him and Brown during their time together.

"I was kinda relentless to think that if there was something I think you needed to work on. I wasn't gonna let up," Brown said. "And that can be hard, but my frustration with Allen was I didn't think he did all the things necessary to play at the level I thought he could have."

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“If I had done a better job of making Allen understand, then we might be talking about the greatest player that played the game.”

Former Sixers HC Larry Brown & Allen Iverson open up about their relationship

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“If I had done a better job of making Allen understand, then we might be talking about the greatest player that played the game.”

Former Sixers HC Larry Brown & Allen Iverson open up about their relationship https://t.co/eYd9EDJv0K

Allen Iverson went on to defend himself and explained that he was still doing everything he can the right way. To his credit, Iverson left in all on the court during his prime, playing through injuries against players bigger than him.

"All I was trying to do was get coach (Larry Brown) to understand and believe that I was trying to play the right way," Iverson said.

Brown did point out that he could have done something more during his time as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.

"If I had done a better job of making Allen understand, then we might be talking about the greatest player who ever played the game," Brown said.

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Allen Iverson's career in retrospect

Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers

Allen Iverson was the first overall pick in the legendary 1996 NBA Draft that also included future Hall of Famers like Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Ray Allen. Iverson was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, taking home the 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year award.

"The Answer" instantly became a superstar, filling the void left by Michael Jordan when he retired in 1998. Iverson might not have the best record off the court, but he was simply phenomenal for nine and a half years in Philly. He took the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001 and won the MVP that same season.

Allen Iverson was also an 11-time All-Star, four-time scoring champion and three-time steals leader. However, he bounced around the NBA after the Sixers traded him to the Denver Nuggets midway through the 2005-06 season. He also played for the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies before returning to Philly in 2009.

The Georgetown product ended his NBA career with a staggering 24,368 points and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

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