Gary Payton takes responsibility for Allen Iverson’s practice rant (Video)

FOX Sports is off and running, and this revelation on their SportsCenter knock-off competitor “FOX Sports Live” could help them get a jump start. With the news that Allen Iverson is set to announce his retirement Gary Payton was asked about the rumor that he played a role in Allen Iverson’s famous practice rant.

Bleacher Report recounts the rant for you in case you forgot:

"“I supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice. I mean, listen, we talking about practice. Not a game. Not a game. Not a game. We talking about practice.”“The Answer” continued: “Not a game. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. Not the game. We talking about practice, man. I mean how silly is that?”Skipping ahead of a number of “practice” lines, Iverson added, “When you come into the arena, and you see me play, you see me play, don’t you? You see me give everything I got, right? But we talking about practice right now.”He concluded by responding to a reporter’s question: “How the hell can I make my teammates better by practicing?”"

Gary Payton says it could be his advice that led to this rant. He says they were hanging out and AI asked him how he stayed in great shape and managed not to get hurt.

“I told him for real that my coach, George Karl, didn’t let me practice. That was it. I said, ‘You have to stop practicing.'”