Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975, in Hampton, Virginia)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association. As the first pick in the 1996 NBA Draft for the Philadelphia 76ers, Iverson became one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, despite his small (6′0″) stature. His career scoring average of 27.7 points per game is third all-time behind Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Iverson was also the 2000-2001 NBA Most Valuable Player and lead the 76ers to the NBA Finals that postseason.
NBA career
Philadelphia 76ers
After two seasons at Georgetown, Iverson was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA Draft. He played with the Sixers for 10 years. During his tenure he was Rookie of the Year, League MVP, 2x All-Star MVP, and led the league in scoring for four years.
1996-2000 Franchise Player
After his rookie season, during which he led the 76ers in points, assists and minutes, Iverson was named the 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year and was a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team[4].
After the 1998-1999 season, during which he averaged 26.8 points and earned his first scoring title, Iverson made his first trip to the playoffs. He started all ten playoff games and averaged 44.4 minutes per game despite being hampered by a number of nagging injuries. Iverson led the Sixers to an upset over the Orlando Magic, before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
Prior to the next season, Iverson signed a six-year, $70 million contract extension[5]. That year, Iverson averaged 28.4 points and again led the 76ers into the playoffs. In the process, Iverson was selected to the Eastern Conference All Star team for the first time of what would be 9 straight appearances. In the playoffs, Iverson averaged 26.2 points, 4.8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, with a high of 40 points in the first round opener at Charlotte on April 22, 2000. Philadelphia advanced past Charlotte, but was eliminated again by Indiana in the second round. That season, he was the only player other than Shaquille O’Neal to receive a NBA Most Valuable Player vote, and he was named to his first All NBA first team.
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2000-2001 MVP season
In the 2000 off-season, the 76ers actively tried to trade Iverson, and had agreed to terms with the Detroit Pistons before Matt Geiger, who was included in the deal, refused to forfeit his $5 million trade kicker.[6]
That season, Iverson led his team to wins in the first ten games of the season, and was named starter at the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, where he won the game MVP. The Sixers also posted a 56-26 record, the best in the Eastern Conference that season. He also averaged a then-career high 31.1 points, winning his second NBA scoring title in the process. Iverson won the NBA steals title at 2.5 a game. Iverson was named NBA Most Valuable Player, and named to the All NBA First team for his accomplishments.
In the playoffs, Iverson and the Sixers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the first round, before meeting Vince Carter-led Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Semifinals. The series went the full seven games. In the next round, the Sixers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, also in seven games, to advance to the 2001 NBA Finals against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Iverson led the Sixers to their first finals since their 1983 championship. In game one of the 2001 NBA Finals, Iverson scored a playoff high 48 points and beat the heavily favored Lakers 107-101. In the game he famously stepped over Tyronn Lue after hitting a crucial shot.[7] Allen would go on to score 23,35,35,37 in games 2-5, all losing efforts though the Sixers were not swept like many predicted. Allen enjoyed his most successful season as an individual and as a member of the Sixers during the 2000–01 NBA season.
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2002-2006
The next season, the Sixers failed to repeat their success. Iverson and others struggled with injury, and despite averaging a league high 31.4 points per game. The Sixers fell to the sixth seed in the 2002 Playoffs, where they fell to the Boston Celtics in the first round.
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Relationship with Larry Brown
For most of the early portion of Iverson’s career, his head coach with the Sixers was Larry Brown. Iverson often praised Brown, saying that he would not have achieved so much in the sport without Brown’s guidance.[need quote] The two frequently clashed, including after the 76ers were defeated in the first round of the 2002 NBA Playoffs, when Brown criticized Iverson for missing team practices and Iverson responded by saying, “We’re sitting here, and I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re talking about practice,”[8] and went on a rant that included the word “practice” 25 times. [9]
In the 2002-2003 season, Iverson once again put up stellar scoring numbers 27.6, was named an NBA All Star, and led the Sixers to the playoffs. This time they were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons, in the second round after a 6-game series. Brown left the 76ers in 2003, following the playoff loss. After his departure from the 76ers, both he and Iverson indicated that the two were on good terms and genuinely fond of one another.[need quote] Iverson later reunited with Brown when Iverson became a member and co-captain of the 2004 United States Olympic men’s basketball team.
The next season, under new coach Randy Ayers, Iverson had his worst season to date. The Sixers started off slowly and Ayers was fired midway through the season. Iverson also missed 34 games due to injury, the highest amount of games he had ever missed in a season. Though he still averaged 26.4 points per game, the Sixers failed to make the playoffs for the first time since Iverson’s second season. In the 2004-2005 season, the 76ers named Jim O’Brien their coach. This season saw a resugence of Iverson, as he averaged 30.7 points per game, capturing his fourth scoring title. This tied him with George Gervin for 3rd most scoring titles among an individual. Iverson also averaged a career high 7.9 assists per game. Meanwhile, the Sixers acquired power forward Chris Webber from the Sacramento Kings in a midseason trade. While the Iverson and Webber initially didn’t mesh, they lifted the 76ers into the playoffs where they lost to the Detroit Pistons in the first round. He was named to the All NBA First team at seasons end.
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Fallout with Sixers
The 2005-2006 would be the last full season for Iverson in a Sixers uniform. he averaged a career high 33.7 points per game, but the Sixers missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. He had also run afoul with coach Jim O’Brien, and O’Brien was fired midway through the season.
On April 18, 2006 Iverson and Chris Webber arrived late to the Sixers’ fan appreciation night and home game finale. Players are expected to report 90 minutes before game time, but both Iverson and Webber arrived around tipoff. Coach Maurice Cheeks notified the media that neither would be playing and general manager Billy King announced that Iverson and Webber would be fined.[10] During the 2006 off-season, trade rumors had Iverson going to Denver, Atlanta, or Boston. None of the deals were completed. Iverson had made it clear that he would like to stay a Sixer.[11]
On November 29, 2006 following a conflict at practice, Iverson stormed out of the gymnasium. That same evening, Iverson missed a corporate sponsor night at Lucky Strike Lanes in Philadelphia. All the 76ers besides Iverson attended this mandatory event. Iverson was fined an undisclosed amount by the 76ers. Iverson claimed he overslept after taking medication for pain related to having two abscessed teeth pulled but it was reported that Iverson told teammates earlier in the day he planned to blow off the event and was simply going to take the fine.[12]
On December 8, 2006 Iverson reportedly demanded a trade from the Sixers (although he would deny that)[13]. As a result of the demand and missing practice prior to a matchup against the Washington Wizards, Iverson was told not to play nor attend any further games. During that game, which was televised nationally on ESPN, Sixers Chairman Ed Snider confirmed the trade rumors by stating “We’re going to trade him. At a certain point, you have to come to grips with the fact that it’s not working. He wants out and we’re ready to accommodate him.”[14]
Denver Nuggets
On December 19, 2006, the Philadelphia 76ers sent Iverson and forward Ivan McFarlin to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first-round picks in the 2007 NBA Draft. At the time of the trade, Iverson was the NBA’s number two leading scorer with teammate Carmelo Anthony being number one.
On December 23, 2006, Iverson played his first game as a Nugget. He had 22 points and 10 assists in a losing effort to the Sacramento Kings. In Iverson’s first year as a Nugget they made the playoffs. They won the first game and lost the next four to the San Antonio Spurs.
Iverson returned to Philadelphia on March 19, 2008 to a sell-out crowd and received a standing ovation in a 115-113 loss.
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