SLAM: For starters, a lot of people thought Glenn Robinson should have won Rookie of the Year the year that Grant Hill and Jason Kidd won. He didn't win it for a lot of the same reasons you might not win it-he quote-unquote rubbed the voters the wrong way. Do you care if you win Rookie of the Year?

IVERSON: I'm not gonna put myself in a predicament so as I'm gonna feel torn down and frustrated, hurt. I'm not gonna do that to myself. If I win it, I win it. If I don't, then I don't. In college, I felt that I was the Player of the Year [last year]. I didn't get it, I didn't win it, so that's something I had to deal with. I felt that I shoulda been an All-Star[instead of being in the rookie game]. In my heart, I felt I shoulda gone to the All-Star game. You know, that hurt me. But Coach Thompson didn't make the Hall of Fame. So if he could deal with not making the Hall of Fame, I could definitely deal with not making the All-Star team. After everythinghe's done for the game of basketball in 25 years at Georgetown, I could deal with not going to the All-Star game.

SLAM:What kind of reception are you getting down in Philly?

IVERSON: I don't know how the people feel. I know when we play, when we do something out there, they cheer. I've heard 'em boo because of our performance, but they're still coming in there to see the games. I can't speak for all of Philadelphia, 'cause I know we have some loyal fan,s andthere are some people that are not loyal. That's the case with every team, I think.

SLAM: What do you think most people's perception of you is?

IVERSON: Different people think different things, so I don't know. I mean, they write so many negative things about me in the papers, with so many things that are not true.

SLAM: Give us an example...

IVERSON: That I don't respect the NBA. That I told Michael Jordan, "Get thehell out of my way." All kinds of things...That I trash-talk everybody every time I play. And people read that. So I don't know what they think.

SLAM: What went on with that whole Jordan thing? Folks said you disrespected him. Do you think that maybe you coulda gone a different way with that?

IVERSON: No, I would never change the way I said it. Because that's me, that's how I feel. That's everything I believe in. I mean, I have a lot of respect for Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley and what they've done forthemselves and what they've done in this league. I have respect for a lot ofthe other veteran players. You know, they paved the way for me. They made me want to be an NBA basketball player. But I mean, once I step on the hardwood, if I over-respect somebody, that battle is already lost.

SLAM: Do you think in some way the NBA is leaving you out to dry? Should they put a stop to this?

IVERSON: I think they should. Like they have all these different shows, NBA shows and all that; I mean, they just play everything up. That whole Jordan situation, all of that; to me, it didn't make any sense. And that respect thing, I don't respect-they coulda easily put an end to it. Ask me. The NBAcoulda asked me themselves, "Do you have respect for the NBA?" I woulda told 'em, Definitely." I mean, how wouldn't I have respect for the NBA? I mean, I don't understand-those guys in the NBA made me wanna-I mean, this is a dream, this is my dream to be here. So how wouldn't I respect it? I mean, I can't not respect the NBA. I feel they coulda cleared all that up. [Pause] Like I said, it's just somethin' else I have to overcome.

SLAM: Whatever went on between you and Mike, do you think that that has a lot to do with it? IVERSON: I have no idea. I've seen a lot of guys riff on Michael Jordan-during a game. I mean, get into it with Michael Jordan...

SLAM: How many rookies, though, have you seen...

IVERSON: So, because you're a rookie, [voice rising] 'cause you're a rookie,you just come into the league and just like bow down to everyone?...Naw, not me, I'm not gonna be that way. I'd rather take the negative publicity than come into the league and just feel like I'm a rookie and I don't really belong there yet. Yeah, I gotta pay my dues first-I'm payin' my dues when I'm on the court. I'm on the same court that they're on, the same court.

SLAM: I don't know if you saw the Sports Illustrated poll of the point guards, ranking them. It had you behind Marbury-you were 16, he was 15-and it had Brandon first. What did you think about that list?

IVERSON: I love bein' motivated by things like that. I love that. For a big magazine like Sports Illustrated-I didn't look at who rated that. I would love to hear the guy's name or names who wrote it, and I just remember things like that, so I can remember those people once I'm done with my career. But that's their opinion. This is my first year. I'm not gonna let something like that distract me, but it's gonna motivate me a lot, it's gonna motivate me a lot.

SLAM: You have no intention of changing to suit them, to make it easier on you? You're not gonna stop going in public with your boys...

IVERSON: No. Those are my friends. Those are guys who were with me since day one. They're the guys that believed in me-they've believed in me since day one. Man, these guys are the ones I trust. Out of all these people, and bein' where I'm at right now, it's hard to trust people. And those are the guys I trust. When I said I'd be ready to leave here. I'm talkin' about I could go to...I could die. I wanna feel that, if I'm goin' away from my family, I feel real good if they're takin' care of 'em. I mean, when my family's taken care of, and I know that they're gonna be straight forever, I'm satisfied. That's the only thing that matters to me.

SLAM: What's the thing that a kid has come up and said to you that's meant the most to you?

IVERSON: I remember this kid told me, "Don't worry about"-I think he was like 9 or 10 years old- and he said "Don't worry about the negative things that people say to you, just keep workin', keep workin' hard." And he said something about if I was good, if I was a good person, then my family and friends would know that I'm a good person, and that's enough. He said somethin' like that...This is a kid that's like 10 years old, and I was like, "Man..."