'What you just saw, that's only for him' - Lou Williams on learning early on that A.I. operated under his own set of rules

Luck is an underrated aspect of an NBA player's career that is not discussed as much as it should be. While talent and diligent work play crucial roles in a player's success, external factors can also greatly influence their journey.

One such factor is the influence of veteran players on young players. For Lou Williams, who played 17 seasons in the Association and won the Sixth Man of the Year award thrice, learning from the legendary guard Allen Iverson early on left a lasting impression.

LouWill recently appeared on Byron Scott's "Fast Break" and spoke about his early experiences in the league involving "The Answer," including learning some things he must never do.

A gift and a curse

Iverson became an icon in this game for several reasons, the foremost of which is his fearlessness. Standing at just 6 feet and weighing a mere 165 pounds, the 11-time All-Star relentlessly attacked the rim and challenged bigger defenders nightly. Allen's scoring prowess was otherworldly, but it also came with its own set of challenges, as he often took bad shots that irked his coaches to no end.

Lou shared that he saw it happen during his rookie year when "Bubba Chuck" exchanged words with the Sixers' coach, Mo Cheeks.

"He gets into it with Mo, but he goes out there and runs off 14 straight. I'm literally sitting there with my eyes and my mouth wide open while they arguing, right?" Williams shared. "Soon as they get done arguing, KJ (Sixers head athletic trainer Kevin Johnson) says, 'Young fella, come here. Those not your rules.' He said, 'So what you just saw—that's only for him. You can't do that. That's not for you.'"

The guidance of veterans

As much as Lou admired and idolized Iverson, he quickly realized that the man had imperfections and flaws just like everyone else. At the same time, Williams also discovered how fortunate he was to have veterans around him who were willing to show him the ropes. After all, LouWill entered the league straight from high school when he was only 19, a time when most kids were just starting their college careers.

"So some of the things that I experienced with him were a gift and a curse. And then when A.I. would trip, I had Kevin Ollie, who was a polar opposite, like, 'Young fella, let's go to chapel. That ain't it. You know what I'm saying? That ain't it,'" Williams recalled.

While some players would become disappointed with being selected in the second round, the 6'2" guard conveyed that he embraced everything that happened to him, claiming that he was placed in the best position to become as successful as he could be.

"I always say everything happened for a reason in my career. Even though I went 45th, even though I went second round, I couldn't have been in a better position. 'Cause, you know, like we say about these young guys: you don't have great vets to get you from point A to point B," Lou continued.

"Well, I had A.I., I had Kevin Ollie, you know what I'm saying? I had Chris Webber. I had guys that really cared about me and knew I was a real kid. This is a real child in here. And they took it as their responsibility to get me to another point where I can be considered a real-deal pro," Williams stressed.

After playing sparingly in his first two seasons in the league, "Sweet Lou" finally got a chance to show off his skills in his third season in the pros. With Iverson getting traded to the Denver Nuggets, Williams assumed a sixth-man role, averaging 11.5 points during the 2007-2008 season and establishing himself as one of the league's best off-the-bench players. He would not look back after that and consistently put up double-digit scoring numbers for the rest of his career.