Nelly once beat a tipsy Allen Iverson at H-O-R-S-E
It’s firmly established that professional athletes often carry their intense competitiveness into other aspects of their lives, even when it involves playing Connect Four with kids during charity events. It’s something that doesn’t turn off easily.
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Not surprisingly, the competitive juices flow even faster when another celebrity beats an NBA player at a form of basketball and then goes bragging about it on TV. Just take it from retired Philadelphia 76ers great and future Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, who had to show rapper Nelly after losing an unintentionally self-handicapped game of H-O-R-S-E. From an interview with Gerald Flores for SoleCollector.com (via EOB):
Have a lot of rappers over your career tried to come at you on the basketball court?
Not one-on-one. Me and Nelly played H.O.R.S.E. He’s a friend of mine. I remember one night we went to Jermaine Dupri’s studio and I had been drinking before I got there. We went into the gym and he beat my ass. Then he went on 106 and Park and bragged about it. So the next time we played, I made sure that I came prepared. I hadn’t drunk anything and beat his ass. And during that game he was saying, “You need to get him a couple drinks.” I told him, “Nah. Not today. You ain’t going to brag on this one.”
And here’s video evidence of the rematch:
I’m as surprised as anyone that Nelly does not play the game as E-I-E-I-O-O. (What’s poppin’ tonight?)
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I suppose it should not come as a huge surprise that alcohol would hinder an all-time great in a game largely dependent on balance and consistent depth of vision, but it’s still a little surprising that Nelly beat Iverson in any basketball-adjacent competition. That’s at least as impressive as when he caught a pitch bare-handed and drove a car around the bases in the “Batter Up” video.
It’s worth noting that this story doesn’t only have to be a fun memory — it can also serve as the inspiration for a new All-Star Weekend event. H-O-R-S-E was a bit of a mess when the league had up-and-coming stars participate a few years ago, but it would be a lot more fun to watch a popular rapper and basketball star from the turn of the millenium play each other. Just imagine Ja Rule and Tracy McGrady matching each other shot for shot.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
