"We should because when coaches get fired, the players have a lot to do with it"
About this Quote
Iverson is also quietly naming the NBA’s real chain of consequence. Coaches get fired publicly and quickly; players rarely do. So the subtext isn’t just responsibility, it’s leverage. If your effort, buy-in, and attention to detail can swing outcomes, then you’re not merely being coached - you’re co-authoring the coach’s fate. That’s an uncomfortable truth in a league where star players are treated like brands and coaches like interchangeable managers.
The context matters: Iverson spent his prime in a high-pressure, high-scrutiny era when narratives about “coachability” and “practice” were weaponized against him. This reads like a veteran’s corrective to both teammates and the public: if you don’t execute, don’t communicate, don’t commit, the coach becomes the sacrificial solution. The line works because it’s both self-indictment and warning - a rare moment where a superstar speaks plainly about the moral debt that comes with influence.
Quote Details
| Topic | Coaching |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Iverson, Allen. (2026, January 15). We should because when coaches get fired, the players have a lot to do with it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-should-because-when-coaches-get-fired-the-35849/
Chicago Style
Iverson, Allen. "We should because when coaches get fired, the players have a lot to do with it." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-should-because-when-coaches-get-fired-the-35849/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"We should because when coaches get fired, the players have a lot to do with it." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-should-because-when-coaches-get-fired-the-35849/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.


