Nelly Explains How Booze Helped Him Beat Allen Iverson In Game Of Horse

Nelly is taking some of the shine off his famous HORSE win over Allen Iverson. The St. Louis rapper admitted alcohol, a familiar gym and a low ceiling all helped him beat one of basketball’s great scorers.

Nelly revisited the game during an episode of “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony.” The matchup happened at Jermaine Dupri’s home gym in Atlanta during the offseason, after both men had spent the night out.

“We was playing HORSE, but in fairness, did I beat him? Yes, I beat him playing HORSE. But we was both hammered, he was just hammered,” Nelly said in the show’s official clip.

The admission did not erase his victory. It explained how a rapper who openly admitted he couldn’t defend Iverson still managed to win a shooting contest against him.

Nelly knew Dupri’s court and understood its limits. Iverson kept using the high arc that worked in NBA arenas, but the roof repeatedly got in the way. Nelly adjusted to the room and leaned on the set shot he had practiced there.

The format also narrowed the gap between them.

HORSE rewards shot-making instead of defense, with one player choosing a shot and the other trying to match it. That let Nelly use his local knowledge without having to stay in front of one of the NBA’s quickest guards.

That familiarity became his real advantage. Nelly described himself as a reliable shooter who could stand in one spot and keep making shots, even if guarding Iverson was out of the question.

He also acknowledged that beating a fully prepared Iverson would have been a different task.

Iverson eventually removed the excuses. Nelly said the Hall of Famer returned sober for a rematch and beat him decisively, ending any idea that the first result settled who was better on the court.