Lou Williams details why Allen Iverson would be a misfit in the load management era: 'He would piss the team off'

While NBA players have frequently discussed Kobe Bryant's legendary refusal to sit out despite injuries, Lou Williams asserts that Allen Iverson embodied a similar warrior mentality. According to the three-time Sixth Man of the Year, "The Answer" was even more extreme, consistently refusing to listen to advice about resting even if he dealt with severe risk of aggravating his injuries or dealing with personal struggles.

Williams on Iverson's greatness

Throughout his 14-year NBA career, Iverson demonstrated remarkable durability, appearing his 65 or more games in 10 of his 12 seasons. Despite battling numerous injuries involving his hand, foot, and ankle, he persistently remained on the court. Highlighting the same, during an appearance on Byron Scott's podcast, Lou emphasized how the Philadelphia 76ers legend would infuriate teams by refusing to sit out, even during critical moments when resting seemed medically advisable.

"I watched him play with broken bones, fractures, anything - you name it, he was suiting up. I can't imagine playing in the load management era… because he would piss the team off. He would literally like (said), 'No, I'm not sitting.' I used to watch this dude play with so many injuries and go out and get 40 (points) like it was nothing. Go hang out like it was nothing," Williams said. "He lived by his own set of rules."

Iverson did play through extreme pain

In stark contrast to modern-day stars like Joel Embiid, who has struggled with injury management after featuring on Team USA rather than resting in the summer, A.I.'s career trajectory shows he was the epitome of resilience and determination.

During the 2000-01 season, when Iverson earned MVP honors, he showcased unparalleled dedication by averaging 31.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. The 11-time All-Star led the Sixers to the NBA Finals, upping his playoff scoring to an impressive 32.9 points per game.

Remarkably, he achieved this while battling a laundry list of injuries, including a tailbone contusion, right elbow bursitis, left ankle sprain, inflamed right toe, right quad contusion, right and left hip contusions, sprained left thumb, and a right knee sprain.

As "Sweet Lou" astutely pointed out, Iverson's zeal to sit out games remains underappreciated. While some might focus on his reluctance to practice, the reality shows that Iverson never let his team be at a disadvantage as long as he trusted in his warrior-like mentality.