Allen Ezail Iverson is a retired professional basketball player. This NBA hero was one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the game, with an average of 27.7 points per game.
Allen Iverson was born on June 7, 1975, in Virginia. He was picked to play for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA Draft. With a height of only 6 feet, he used expertise more than physical attribute to rank just behind the likes of Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain. Iverson was declared the Most Valuable NBA Player, 2000-2001. In high school, he played quarterback. He led the Bethel High School football team to the state championship. In 1993, he was involved in an altercation. The sudden outburst of white versus black turned from a shouting duel to a huge fight. He was arrested for striking a woman with a chair. He was also arrested at the age of 17 and convicted for combat lynching.
Iverson won a gold medal at the World University Games in 1995, in Japan. He led the US players in scoring and assists. With an average of 16.7 points and 6.1 assists per game, he became the leading scorer of the Hoyas. He turned professional early, even before graduating. Iverson was the only after Victor Page, to leave Georgetown for the National Basketball Association so early. He played with the Sixers for a decade and earned the 'Rookie of the Year', 'League MVP', and '2x All-Star MVP' titles. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1996, and became a part of the All-Rookie First Team. He earned his first scoring title in the 1998-1999 season. He scored at the playoff games, despite a number of injuries and physical setbacks.
Iverson was selected to the All Star team of the Eastern Conference, and went on to average at 26.2 points, 1.3 steals per game, 4.8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 40 points in the first round, at Charlotte, in 2000. He became the only player that year, other than Shaquille O'Neal, to receive a vote as NBA Most Valuable Player. He was named 'starter' at the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, and also won the game MVP. He also won the steals title at 2.5 per game, and was selected for the All NBA First team. He enjoyed his most successful season during the 2000-01 NBA season.
Most of the early years of his career was spent with coach Larry Brown. Iverson was very vocal and generous in his praise for the coach, in spite of Brown criticizing him for skipping team practice. They worked extensively for the men's basketball team at the 2004 Olympics, in the United States. The subsequent fall under the guidance of new coach Randy Ayers, was again made up for in the 2004-2005 season, under the new coach Jim O'Brien. In December 2006, Iverson and Ivan McFarlin were sent to the Denver Nuggets, Iverson's first game as a Nugget.
Iverson has battled with controversy all his personal and professional life. He has faced the challenges of racial bias, sentence to community service, criticism for controversial lyrics, suspension from the team, illegitimate casino gambling, and repeat violations of dress code. He is on record for stating that apparel
"would not change a person's character regardless of what type of clothing they wore... and associating hip-hop styles of dress with violent crime is racist." Nevertheless, this much-loved basketball star remained a favorite with fans and teammates. The averages contributed to the world of sport and the display of true sportsmanship with resilience and courage continued to add to the charisma of Allen Ezail Iverson.
He retired from professional basketball in the year 2011.
