Allen Iverson (born
June 7,
1975 in
Hampton, Virginia) is an American
basketball player. He is an all-star guard for the
Philadelphia 76ers. While attending Bethel High School, Iverson was a spectacular all-around athlete who was regarded not only as one of the top basketball players in the country, but also arguably the country's top high school
football quarterback. He opted for basketball, enrolling at
Georgetown University,
Washington, D.C., which does not play top-level football.
Iverson was drafted with the first pick of the 1996 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and has led the team in scoring ever since. As a rookie he quickly gained national popularity for a famous crossover dribble he made while being guarded by the legendary Michael Jordan. He had his best season in 2001, when he led the league in scoring, was awarded NBA MVP and reached the NBA Finals. In these finals, the Sixers faced Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who had reached the final series undefeated throughout the playoffs. Most of the basketball world expected the Lakers to sweep through the finals, but Allen Iverson carried his team to a shocking overtime victory in the opener at Los Angeles, and nearly upset the Lakers again in game two.
The NBA changed several rules the next offseason, most notably allowing zone defenses . These rules limited his effectiveness over the next few years, but he was still able lead the NBA in steals and minutes played.
He has leveled lavish praise on Coach Larry Brown, often saying that he would not have reached the heights that he has in the sport without Brown's guidance. He had a love-hate relationship with Brown, however. After the 76ers were defeated in the first round of the 2002 playoffs and Iverson was criticized by Brown for missing practices, Iverson held a press conference in which he said "We're talking about practice. We're not even talking about the game, the actual game, when it matters. We're talking about practice".
Iverson has also occasionally been involved in incidents with the legal authorities, dating back to his teenage years. One such incident involved a family party where he allegedly threatened his wife with a handgun.
Iverson also attempted to release a rap album named 40 Bars under the alias Jewelz. The explicit lyrics of the album caused an uproar in Philadelphia which prompted him to stop the release before it hit the shelves.
Iverson was reunited with Larry Brown as a member and co-captain of the 2004 USA Olympics basketball team.
On February 12, 2005 Iverson scored a career-high 60 points against the Orlando Magic.
External links
Last updated: 05-07-2005 04:51:00
Last updated: 05-07-2005 18:09:53
