Friday, March 29, 2024

Yao Ming’s Allen Iverson ‘Practice’ Joke at Hall of Fame Induction was a Hoot! (WATCH)

*All in all the 2016 NBA Hall of Fame induction ceremony was was a sho-nuff winner. We got to relive Shaquille O’Neal‘s dominance in the center and Allen Iverson‘s super crossover moves and more.

Even Shaq’s and AI’s speeches were filled with poignancy and hilarity. But so was Yao Ming‘s. He was the first speaker of the night and got the crowd in the mood with his low key, hilarious cracks on various NBA greats that he played with and against.

The now retired Chinese baller gave up his thoughts in the fashion of a roast, referring to his big man predecessor Dikembe Mutombo as an old man, and poking fun at Shaq’s notoriously bad free throw percentage. But before that happened, as we said above, Yao got the night rolling by bringing up a word that, fortunately or unfortunately, will always be associated with the great Allen Iverson: “practice.”

“When I heard that I would be the first speaker tonight, I thought somebody made a mistake. Don’t laugh because I think this spot belongs to the great Allen Iverson. You know why? Because I need more practice than him.”

Yep, Yao’s funny quip set the tone for the rest of the night. 🙂

Now, just in case you’re not a b-ball fan and not sure why the comment was funny, Ming’s “practice” line is in reference to a 2002 press conference, in which a frustrated Allen Iverson repeated the word at least 20 times, in response to a reporter’s inquiry into him having missed a practice or two.

“We’re sitting in here, and I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice. I mean, listen, we’re talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, we talking about practice,” Iverson famously said. “Not a game. Not, not … Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. Not the game, but we’re talking about practice, man.”

 

We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!

YOU MAY LIKE

SEARCH

- Advertisement -

TRENDING