It was the 2002 playoffs. The Celtics had just eliminated the Philadelphia 76ers from the playoffs. And Allen Iverson was thirsty.
So Iverson, then at the peak of his powers and just one year removed from his NBA Most Valuable Player performance and the Sixers’ NBA Finals run, gave a Celtics ball boy $2,000 to stock the Sixers’ team bus with beer. That ball boy — or “ball man,” preferably — grew up to be Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, who recounted the story on an episode of Off the Record.
Apparently, Iverson failed to take into account the presence of raucous Celtics fans celebrating their team’s series victory. By the time Mannix made it back to the bus, he only had four cases left.
Hear the full story in the video below.
