How Nelly once defeated NBA star Allen Iverson in a game of HORSE
ST. LOUIS - Nelly may be best known for putting St. Louis on the map with his music. But long before the hits, he was a standout athlete. And legend has it, he once defeated NBA star Allen Iverson in a game of HORSE.
No footage from this iconic showdown has ever surfaced publicly, but the tale was first told on the IFC series "Framed" in 2008 and recently revisited by Jermaine Dupri, a longtime friend who hosted the matchup in his studio.
In the early 2000s, Nelly and Iverson both became prominent celebrities who bonded over casual basketball games and celebrity flag football matchups. They later starred in an episode of IFC's "Framed," with Nelly producing and filming a profile on Iverson as part of a series highlighting athletes who endorsed Reebok footwear and apparel.
On "Framed," Nelly is quick to point out his HORSE victory over Iverson, "I've beat him before, but it's not been documented. But he has to admit it. There were witnesses. People were there."
In the episode, Nelly meets Iverson on a court for a rematch, this time captured on video. As they warm up, Nelly stirs the pot with Iverson about their previous matchup, while Iverson grins and tries to play it cool.
Nelly: "Oh, you don't remember? Short-term memory? You ain't that old."
Iverson: "I don't know whatcha talking about."
Nelly and Iverson then sat down to explain backstory. One late night into an early morning at Jermaine Dupri's studio in Georgia, Nelly and Iverson locked eyes, showed their competitive spirits and immediately agreed to a game of HORSE.
The rules were simple. The first player to make five baskets without them being answered from the same spot - spelling "H-O-R-S-E" for the opponent - would win.
The dialogue continued as follows...
Nelly: "We go into the gym. We're shooting basketballs. I shoot two or three more jumpers than he does."
Iverson: "He had an advantage that night, that late night."
Nelly: "I'm not gonna gloat. It was all about two years ago."
Iverson: "And then he went on 106 & Park [Music TV show] and bragged about doing it."
"Framed" then cuts back into the on-court rematch, in which Iverson admits, "I need a rematch" and "I ain't drunk." Nelly and Iverson both found a groove early, once even with an "H" in the rematch. However, Iverson rattled off four consecutive baskets that Nelly missed, cruising to victory.
"He won. You see him rejoicing. He's never going to let me hear the end of this," said Nelly, showing good sportsmanship. "There's no way I'm going to beat Allen Iverson, when he's [playing like] Allen Iverson."
However, Nelly's one victory over Iverson, now nearly two decades ago, was recently brought back to light by Jermaine Dupri, who recalled finer details on The Wave's "7pm in Brooklyn" podcast with Carmelo Anthony.
"Yeah, he lost," said Dupri frankly on Iverson, prompting laughter from the hosts.
He then elaborates, "To his [Iverson's] defense, you all be shooting the ball so high, and my ceiling ain't as high as the stadium, so unfortunately, a couple of times he shot the ball it hit the ceiling instead of going in."
"And he was drinking," said Dupri on Iverson. "A couple of drinks, and he wasn't focused, like 'Ok, I need to shoot the ball straight.'"
"But Nelly was shooting like my gym was his gym. He knew not to shoot this NBA shot. And he kept saying, 'I'm going to beat you.' And I think Nelly knew that 'Chuck' [Iverson] was going to shoot and it was going to get stuck, and was like, 'Ah, let me do it again.'"
Allen Iverson's prolific NBA career (1996-2011), primarily with the Philadelphia 76ers, included MVP honors in 2000-01, leading the 76ers to the NBA Finals that same season, 1996-97 Rookie of the Year honors and seven All-Star nods. He averaged 26.7 points, 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game over nearly 1,000 regular season games.
Nelly, as an athlete, was better known for pursuing a brief professional baseball career over basketball before he fully committed to music. Over his decades-long career, Nelly has won three Grammy Awards and nine Billboard Music Awards, with hits such as “Country Grammar,” “Hot in Herre” and “St. Louie." He is also the co-founder of local-brad rap group St. Lunatics with childhood friends.
