No Crossover

I have never been an Allen Iverson fan. I respect his talent and I've watched his career as he's fought to be a fierce competitor, but I didn't really know much about him or his past.

That all changed last Tuesday when the ESPN 30 For 30 series continued with "No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson." Told largely in first person reflection and investigation by filmmaker Steve James ("Hoop Dreams"), the film reflected on the events surrounding the 1993 arrest and subsequent trial of Allen Iverson and three friends and teammates.

Iverson was an explosive star that emerged from a rough neighborhood. In Hampton, Va., on the peninsula of the state, Iverson was a two-sport star. After guiding his high school to a state championship in football during the fall of his junior year, Iverson was looking to do the same thing in basketball. But on Valentine's Day in 1993, a brawl broke out in a local bowling alley that changed the course of his life.

Iverson did capture that title in basketball, but he wouldn't get the chance to repeat. The decision was made to try Iverson and his cohorts as adults. Given the nature of the brawl (a battle drawn along racial lines that resulted in more serious injuries for the whites involved in the brawl), there was a great deal of tension surrounding the trial. In the end, Iverson was convicted on three felony counts and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

His sentence was later commuted in time for him to get a high school equivalency and earn a scholarship to Georgetown. After two years at Georgetown, Iverson was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. And most know about his career highlights and low-lights.

The film, however, explored the ways the trial racially divided the city and the impact those events still have today. James, who grew up in Hampton, had a personal stake in the film and, like Iverson or not, you'll never look at him the same way.

I urge everyone to see the film. It's not a sports film so much as a commentary on how far we've come, and how far we've yet to go. Seeing James travel in an affluent neighborhood in Virginia in 2010 and seeing the Stars and Bars flying over several porches stood as a reminder to me that racism is as big an issue today as it was in 1993. We have made strides in some areas, but we still have a long way to go.