The Denver Nuggets star told a U.S. District Court jury he was in the Eyebar nightclub in Washington for about 20 minutes on July 20, 2005, when he saw people running and other signs of a disturbance. His bodyguard, Jason Kane, grabbed him and he left immediately, getting into his Bentley coupe parked outside.

"I think I'm here because I worked all my life to get to where I'm at and they want to get rich overnight," said Iverson, who starred at Georgetown and with the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Nuggets in December 2006.

The two plaintiffs, Marlin Godfrey and David Anthony Kittrell, say Iverson stood by as his entourage beat them and at one point even joined in by hitting someone with a bottle. They accuse Iverson and Kane of assault, infliction of emotional distress, negligence and conspiracy. Like Iverson, Kane says he was not involved in the fight.

Questioning Iverson Monday, plaintiffs' lawyer Gregory L. Lattimer, stood over Godfrey and listed his injuries, including "having his head busted open," damage to his eyes and the need for two years of psychological counseling.