Back In The Day NBA

Why Stephen A. Smith Called It A "Nightmare" To Report On Allen Iverson

Shandel Richardson

Dec 16, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson speaks to the media prior to a halftime ceremony honoring his hall of fame induction before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson speaks to the media prior to a halftime ceremony honoring his hall of fame induction before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Stephen A. Smith the media personality was once Stephen A. Smith the reporter.

From 1994-2010, Smith was the 76ers beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. During this time, he was responsible for following every move of a young Allen Iverson.

Smith called it one of the least favorite experiences of his journalism career. He spoke of it on a recent appearance on the OGs podcast with Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem.

"That's my little brother," Smith said. "He was a nightmare to cover."

Iverson was drafted by 76ers in 1996. It took little time for him to make it in the news for the wrong reasons. He had a few brushes with the law during his early playing days.

"This cat always got into some (bleep) when I was on vacation," Smith said. "He never did it when I was right there in town. It was always, I'm on vacation. I'm in the islands. I'm at my undisclosed tropical location."

Smith was often called from vacation because of his relationship with Iverson. A big reason why Smith's career accelerated was the ability to build sources with players and their inner-circle.


"It would drive me crazy because they knew if I couldn't find him, I would find someone close to him," Smith said. "Everybody knew that I was the go-to guy when it came to AI."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com