No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

Feared and revered for his speed, lay-ups and crossovers, the 35-year-old Allen Iverson can look back on a great career as a professional basketball player. In 2001 and 2005, he was voted MVP (most valuable player) in the NBA. But back when Iverson was still playing for Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, his life and future career were almost ruined. Out bowling one evening (Valentine's Day, 1993), the black Iverson and his friends got in a fight with a group of white bowlers. Chairs were flung and seven people were wounded, one of them briefly losing consciousness. Ultimately, Iverson and company were the only ones to be arrested, put on trial and found guilty - and although he was only 17 at the time, Iverson was tried as an adult. The case had a great impact on Hampton, polarizing the city along racial lines. Steve James is from Hampton and played high school basketball as well, so he decided to investigate the Iverson case from a personal perspective. He scoured all kinds of archives and talked to many of those involved, including his own mother, the\i \i0 school nurse at the time. Hypothesizing and reconstructing, switching between the various perspectives, he attempts to unravel exactly what took place back then.