Mar 1, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers former guard Allen Iverson during his jersey number retirement ceremony at halftime of game between the 76ers and Washington Wizards at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Allen Iverson -2
If you look up the word scorer in a dictionary there’s a picture of Allen Iverson rockin a cheeky smile and a doo rag.
Iverson is THE 76er of the 21st century, and is someone I grew up idolizing as a fan. “A 6 foot guard from Georgetown.” Iverson was the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. He had incredible speed and agility, and a knack for getting buckets. The Sixers at the time were at the bottom of the NBA totem pole, and needed someone like Allen to revive the franchise.
Iverson did just that, and then some. He was the face of the franchise for 12 seasons with Philadelphia, and over that period he established himself as one of the best scorers in the league.
AI averaged 27.6 PPG during his lengthy career with the 76ers which is 6th all-time, including three 30+ PPG seasons. The offense ran through him at all times. Never shy to take a shot, Allen Iverson averaged nearly 22 field goal attempts per game in his career. With Philadelphia, he did not have much scoring power behind him, and often times he was forced to carry the load scoring regardless of how well he was playing.
But that volume of shots doesn’t diminish the kind of achievements Iverson compiled throughout his FHOF career.
He earned MVP in the 2000-2001 season taking the 76ers to the finals against Kobe, Shaq, and the Lakers. Even though they did not win the finals, that season was the year of Allen Iverson.
Pound-for-pound he is the best there ever was. Never hindered by his size, Allen Iverson could cross-over the entire league and take it to the basket for an and-1.
Next: Hal Greer