“I’d Give My MVP Trophy Back”: Allen Iverson Ready to Sacrifice It All to Fix His Biggest NBA Regret

The 2001 MVP award, the 11 All-Star appearances, even the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame induction- there’s nothing Allen Iverson wouldn’t give up for one missing piece of his NBA career.

The living legend has earned just about every accolade imaginable. He went from a young icon to one of the NBA’s most valuable players, and his legacy stretches far beyond his playing years. However, in his 14 seasons, he never won the NBA championship. It’s something that still haunts him.

“I think about, like, one of the knocks about, you know, with me in life is, like, not winning a championship, right?” he confessed on a recent episode of The Underground Lounge on YouTube.

“I would give my MVP trophy back, I would, you know what I mean, All-Stars and First Team All-NBA, you know what I mean? Top 75, Hall of Fame—all that, man, I would give it back for a championship,” he concluded.

Iverson came closest in 2001, when he carried the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals.

Standing in their way was a dominant Los Angeles Lakers team led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in their prime. However, it was the Sixers that drew first blood. Iverson scored 48 points in a 107–101 overtime win in Game 1. It was the only game the Lakers lost in the entire 2001 playoffs.

He averaged 35.6 points in the finals with 5.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Unfortunately, it was not enough. The Lakers won the next four games to take the title 4–1.

“I would rather not even go to the finals,” Iverson admitted. After a long season and playoff run, he said he was just glad it was over because he was hurting so bad physically. Losing after coming that close made the disappointment even harder to take.

Iverson brought up the emotional confession after being asked about the Allen Iverson Way, the street named after him in Newport News, Virginia, near his hometown of Hampton. The city unveiled it in March 2024. He talked about growing up in the area, fishing and catching crabs nearby.

Years later, it made him emotional to see the same street be named after him. “I was looking across the street, then I’m just looking at my name on it, and I’m like, damn, bro. Like, you did it.”

He explained that the street sign is proof that he’s accomplished much in life and in the NBA. After all, even as a rookie in 1997, he scored 40 points or more across five straight games, setting a rookie record.

He also changed the league’s culture. His cornrows, streetwear, and tattoos reshaped how NBA players presented themselves. The league’s 2005 dress code is widely seen as a response to the style he made popular. Years later, players still look up to him as one of the most influential figures the game has seen.

Iverson knows who he is and what he’s done. He knows coming this far means something. Not many NBA players have streets named after them. So, he settles for an explanation. “So like, that a championship is just something that God ain’t want that for you for whatever reason,” he said.

Ultimately, Iverson said he did everything he could, and at the end of the day, he could face himself in the mirror. The losses don’t count; the history has been written. Allen Iverson will always be one of basketball’s greatest.

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