Allen Iverson
Allen Ezail Iverson (/ˈaɪvərsən/; born June 7, 1975), nicknamed "the Answer" and "AI", is an American former professional basketball player. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iverson was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Iverson attended Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, and was a dual-sport athlete. 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. After high school, Iverson played college basketball with the Georgetown Hoyas for two years, where he set the school record for career scoring average (22.9 points per game) and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years.
Following two successful years at Georgetown, Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first overall pick. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. A four time scoring champion, winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, and 2004–05 seasons, Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, despite his relatively small stature (listed at 6 feet, 0 inches, or 183 centimeters). 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 is second only to Michael Jordan. Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season, and led his team to the 2001 NBA Finals the same season. Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.
Later in his career, Iverson played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and the Memphis Grizzlies, before ending his NBA career with the 76ers during the 2009–10 season. He was rated the fifth greatest NBA shooting guard of all time by ESPN in 2008. He finished his career in Turkey with Beşiktaş in 2011. He returned as a player-coach for 3's Company in the inaugural season of the BIG3.
Iverson was born in Hampton, Virginia, to a single 15-year-old mother, Ann Iverson, and was given his mother's maiden name after his father Allen Broughton left her.
He grew up in Hampton, where drugs and crime were the social norms. During his early childhood years, he was loved by the neighborhood kids and was given the nickname "Bubba Chuck". A childhood friend, Jaime Rogers, said that Iverson would always look out for the younger kids and that "He could teach anybody". At the age of 13 his father figure in his life, Michael Freeman, was arrested in front of him for dealing drugs. Iverson then failed the eighth grade because of absences and moved to get out of the projects.
He attended Bethel High School, where he started as quarterback for the school football team, while also playing running back, kick returner, and defensive back. He also started at point guard for the school basketball team. During his junior year, Iverson was able to lead both teams to Virginia state championships, as well as earn The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both sports.
Iverson played for the Boo Williams AAU basketball team, and won the 1992 17-and-under AAU national championship
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