Key Takeaways
- Nelly admits he beat Allen Iverson at HORSE while both were “hammered,” revisiting the matchup on Carmelo Anthony’s 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.
- The rapper credited his familiarity with Jermaine Dupri’s Atlanta gym, where the low ceiling repeatedly disrupted Iverson’s shots.
- Iverson later showed up sober for their rematch and won decisively, a result the rapper readily acknowledged.
Nelly still holds on to his infamous HORSE victory over Allen Iverson, but the rapper admits unusual circumstances helped him pull off the upset.
During a recent appearance on Carmelo Anthony's 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, the St. Louis rapper revisited the time he defeated the NBA legend in a game of HORSE at Jermaine Dupri's home gym in Atlanta. While Nelly proudly acknowledged the win, he revealed that both men had been drinking heavily before the competition.
"Did I beat him? Yes, I beat him playing HORSE. But we were both hammered," Nelly said.
The rapper explained that the game happened during the offseason after the two spent a night partying in Atlanta.
"We was both fucked up. We been out kicking it," Nelly recalled. "We was having a great time."
However, Nelly admitted he had one major advantage over Iverson: familiarity with Dupri's gym.
"I'm used to shooting in JD gym," he explained, noting that the low ceiling repeatedly interfered with Iverson's shots.
"He was not adjusting, man," Nelly said, recalling how Iverson kept forgetting about the ceiling while attempting his shots.
Despite beating one of basketball's greatest scorers, Nelly acknowledged that the circumstances played a significant role in his victory.
"There's no way I'm beating Chuck halfway lit," he admitted, using Iverson's beloved nickname.
The story previously came up during an August 2025 episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, when Dupri explained how his gym's unusually low ceiling worked against Iverson.
"My ceiling ain't high as the stadium... a couple of times he shot the ball up, it hit the ceiling instead of going in," Dupri said.
Iverson has also addressed the memorable matchup. During a 2016 interview, the Hall of Famer admitted that Nelly beat him after he had been drinking, but revealed that he made sure to get revenge during their next meeting.
"I had been drinking before I got there. We went into the gym and he beat my ass," Iverson recalled. "Then he went on 106 and Park and bragged about it."
Iverson said he approached their rematch differently, showing up sober and ready to settle the score.
"So the next time we played, I made sure that I came prepared. I hadn't drunk anything and beat his ass," he said.
Nelly confirmed that Iverson dominated their second matchup, joking that his confidence from the original victory had gotten the better of him.
"He beat the shit out of me," Nelly admitted.
