Although small by NBA standards --- only 6 feet tall --- Allen Iverson made a deep impact on the league during 14 seasons of pro basketball in the United States. "Washington Post" columnist Michael Wilbon credited Iverson --- who, as of November 2010 had signed with a Turkish professional team --- with a reputation for thrilling fans and giving all of himself to the game. Through the 2009-10 season, Iverson ranked 31st in NBA history in points per game, 22nd in assists per game and 13th in steals per game.
College
Born June 7, 1975, Iverson played his college basketball at Georgetown University from 1994 through 1996. He was named the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year in both seasons and led the Hoyas to their sixth league championship in his second season. He has the highest scoring average of any basketball player in the school's history, according to the NBA's website.
The 76er Years
The Philadelphia 76ers chose Iverson with the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. During his 10½ seasons with the 76ers, Iverson led the NBA in scoring four times and in steals three times, and led the team to the NBA Finals in 2001 --- its first appearance there since 1983. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year for the 1996-97 season --- the first 76er to be so honored --- after setting his team's all-time rookie record with 1,787 points. He was named league MVP in 2001, the shortest player to earn the title. Philadelphia traded Iverson to the Denver Nuggets in December 2006; he would return to the team briefly twice, in 2007 and again in 2009.
2006-2010
2006 saw a slide begin for Iverson as he bounced back among four teams: Denver, Philadelphia, Detroit and Memphis. Nonetheless, he continued to rack up NBA records. In January 2007, he became the 30th NBA player to score 20,000 career points, hitting the milestone during a game against Seattle. Iverson was named Western Conference Player of the Week three times for the Nuggets before the team traded Iverson to the Detroit Pistons in November 2008. After he returned to the 76ers in December 2009, the team announced the following March that Iverson would not play for the remainder of the season, citing family problems. It was rumored that his 4-year-old daughter was ill, ESPN reported. He played 25 games for the 76ers during the 2009-10 season and three for the Memphis Grizzlies before announcing his retirement.
After the NBA
Iverson's decision to retire did not stick, but though he made himself available, no NBA team came forward to sign him again. As of November 2010, Iverson was playing for the Besiktas team in Turkey which signed him to a $4-million, 2-year contract. "Post" columnist Wilbon wrote of Iverson, then 35: "can't convince me that Iverson can't help a good team, that he can't come off the bench and be an asset." Larry Brown, who coached Iverson and the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals, agreed: "I think it's sad having him have to go to Turkey to finish his career."
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