Allen Iverson
The Answer: NBA MVP, scoring champion, and Olympic bronze medalist.
via Wikipedia: Allen Iverson · see source
Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed 'the Answer', he played 14 seasons in the NBA as both a shooting guard and point guard. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1997, an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star Game MVP Award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA MVP in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 7 June 1975
- Birthplace
- Hampton, Virginia, U.S.
- High school
- Bethel (Hampton, Virginia)
- College
- Georgetown (1994–1996)
- Draft round
- 1
- Drafted by
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Career position
- Shooting guard; point guard
- Career number
- 3, 1, 4
Lore & Background
Iverson attended Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, where he earned the Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both football and basketball, and won the Division 5 AAA Virginia state championship in both sports. He played college basketball at Georgetown University for two years, setting the school record for career scoring average (23.0 points per game) and winning the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award both years. He was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA draft. He represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.
Reader's Guide
Iverson is regarded as one of the game's greatest scorers, ball handlers, guards, and among the most influential athletes in American sports. He was a four-time NBA scoring champion (1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2004–05). His regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks seventh all-time, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game trails only Michael Jordan and Luka Dončić. He led the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals and was rated the fifth-greatest NBA shooting guard of all time by ESPN in 2008.
Did You Know?
- Iverson was the shortest first overall pick in NBA history, listed at 6 feet 0 inches.
- He broke Wilt Chamberlain's rookie record of three straight 40-point games, doing so in five straight games.
- Iverson was convicted of maiming by mob in 1993 but the conviction was overturned in 1995 for insufficient evidence.
- He was granted clemency by Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder after four months in a correctional facility.
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