![]() At the end of the year, he signed a lifetime contract with Reebok. Having moved to the shooting guard position, he averaged an NBA-best 31.1 points per game and was named the league's MVP in 2000-01, capping the season with a spirited effort in the NBA Finals against the powerful Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson led the league in scoring for the first time in 1998-99, and earned his first All-Star selection the following year. Iverson embraced that image by releasing the rap single "40 Bars" in 2000, and bolstered it with his arrests in 1997, on misdemeanor marijuana and gun charges, and in 2002, on more serious gun charges (that were eventually dropped).īut there was no denying the breathtaking talent. To some, he became a symbol of everything that was wrong with the NBA, his selfish play marking the demise of fundamental basketball, and his tattoos and cornrows celebrating its proliferation of street culture. Critics pointed to his missed shots and turnovers, and wondered why, as a point guard, he wasn't passing the ball to his teammates. He also became one of the league's most polarizing players. With an average of 23.5 points and more than two steals per game, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. Barely 6 feet tall, he blew past defenders with his blinding speed and fearlessly attacked the much larger players guarding the basket. Iverson quickly became one of the NBA's must-see spectacles. 1 overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. As a sophomore, he led the Hoyas to a berth in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament and was named a First-Team All American. Iverson rewarded Thompson's faith with his stellar play, averaging 22.9 points per game and twice winning the conference defensive player of the year award. Douglas Wilder granted him conditional clemency, and he earned the chance to play for Georgetown University men's basketball coach John Thompson. Iverson was released after serving four months after Virginia Governor L. Despite differing accounts of what transpired - Iverson claimed he left before the fighting even started - he was convicted of three felony counts and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, his promise was nearly derailed by his involvement in a bowling alley brawl in February 1993. He led Bethel High School to basketball and football state titles as a junior, earning AP high school athlete of the year honors for both sports. However, Freeman was arrested in 1991 for dealing drugs, and Iverson and his sisters soon had to endure deplorable living conditions at home.įor all the hardship, Iverson proved a gifted athlete. A single, teenage mom, Ann moved with her infant son to the Newport News, Virginia, apartment of new boyfriend Michael Freeman, who became the father figure in Iverson's life. Early LifeĪllen Ezail Iverson was born on June 7, 1975, in Hampton, Virginia, to Ann Iverson. He retired from the sport in 2013, and was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. A tremendous scorer despite his small stature, Iverson was named NBA MVP in 2001 and earned 11 All-Star selections, but was also criticized for selfish play and several off-the-court transgressions. Allen Iverson overcame early legal problems to become a star basketball player at Georgetown and the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft.
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