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Allen Iverson: The Undersized Giant Who Left an Oversized Impact on the NBA

Oct 11, 202410 min read

Now-a-days the acronym “AI” is synonymous with ChatGPT, Robots, or Non-Playable Characters in your favorite video game. Twenty years ago, it meant iconic cross overs, broken ankles, and an emblematic headband. That is right, we are talking about Allen “The Answer” Iverson. 


AI’s incredible career accolades include an MVP, Rookie of the Year, and now an inductee to the NBA Hall of Fame. In a career that spanned fourteen years, AI was an All Star for eleven of them. He was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and is certainly in the conversation for greatest player to never win an NBA Title. Oh, and he did all this standing only six-feet tall.


Let‘s go on an interactive dive through one of the most unique NBA careers ever.


Early Years


Iverson grew up in Hampton, Virginia and attended Bethel High School, where he of coursed played basketball, but he was also the star Running Back and Defensive Back for the football team. AI helped win State Championship for Bethel in both disciplines and awarded Associated Press High School Player of the Year in both sports. 


Allen Iverson at Bethel Highschool

Not much more to achieve, but a lot to lose. AI soon found himself in controversy.


In early 1993, Iverson was hanging out with some friends at a local bowling alley when a scuffle began between his friend group and another group. The fight had racial implications as Iverson’s group happened to be black and the other group were all white. Iverson’s group were the only individuals arrested and charged. Allen was alleged to have struck a woman in the head with a chair. A video that later surfaced shows him leaving the bowling alley before the fight got out of hand. Allen Iverson was charged with a felony at 17 years of age. 


Allen spent four months in a correctional facility before being granted clemency and had his conviction overturned due to a lack of evidence. This situation sparked riots to combat racial injustice and had tremendous cultural impact at the time around the Hampton Roads area. This story is out of scope for this blog, but I highly recommending watching the documentary No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series.


Because he was in a correctional facility, Iverson couldn’t finish his senior year at Bethel High School and was forced to attend a high school for at-risk students. However, because his first three years at Bethel were so impressive, Allen was still awarded a full scholarship to play for legendary coach John Thompson at Georgetown University.


College Years


At Georgetown, Iverson hit the ground running in his freshman year averaging 20.4 Points Per Game, 4.5 Assist Per Game, and a Field Goal Percentage of 39%. He was named Big East Rookie of the Year and led the Hoyas to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, eventually losing to a North Carolina team who had two future NBA All-Stars in Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace.


His sophomore season was one for the record books. He averaged 25 Points Per Game, 4.7 Assist Per Game, and an astonishing 48% Field Goal Percentage. He led Georgetown to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament this year, eventually losing to the University of Massachusetts coached by John Calipari at the time.


Allen Iverson at Georgetown University

Iverson decided to forego his final two seasons at Georgetown to enter the NBA Draft. He would leave Georgetown with the accolades of being the all-time leading scorer by average and a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year. The kid from Hampton commonly referred to as Bubba Chuck, would be the undisputed number one overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.




Rookie Year


Iverson became the shortest number one overall pick in NBA history. He was tasked with being the catalyst to the worst team in the NBA at the time, the Philadelphia 76ers.


Allen Iverson in his rookie season

AI's first career NBA game was superb, he notched 30 points in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Losing was a common theme in his rookie year, the 76ers would only improve by four games from the previous year’s win total. Iverson was not the issue. He averaged 23.5 Points Per Game, 7.5 Assists Per Game, and 41.6% Field Goal Percentage. The Answer would speed away with the 1996-1997 Rookie of the Year award. Despite competing against future all-stars Stephon Marbury and Antoine Walker.


2nd Year Slump?


Allen's statistics took a dip in his second year. He averaged a couple less points per game, an assist less per game, and less rebounds.


However, the 76ers brought in help this time around. They added Theo Ratliff, Eric Snow, Aaron McKee, and Larry Hughes. Philadelphia also included a legendary new coach in Larry Brown, the only coach to ever win a NCAA National Championship and an NBA Title.


This core will stick around for a while, and is pivotal to Iverson's growth in the coming years.


Allen Iverson with coach Larry Brown

Iverson Makes the Lockout into His Breakout


The 1998-1999 season was Iverson's 3rd year in the NBA, and it was mired by a lockout. In total each team only played 48 games instead of the usual 82.


Iverson flourished during this period. He averaged 26.8 Points Per Game, 4.9 Assists Per Game, and made about 4 more Free Throws Per Game more than the previous year.


AI earned the scoring title this year, meaning he was the leading scorer in the NBA. He then led the 76ers to his first playoff appearance, leading Philly to a playoff series win over a favored Orlando squad, before eventually losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.


During the 1998-1999 Playoffs, Iverson averaged 28.5 Points Per Game. AI and the 76ers would become regulars in the playoffs for the coming years.



MVP Contender


For the 1999-2000 season the 76ers added free agent forwards Bruce Bowen and Tyrone Hill. Iverson would injure his thumb and missed 12 out of the first 23 games. The 76ers struggled during this time. Once "The Answer" returned, he returned right where he left off, helping the 76ers to a 49 - 33 record. Philly would grab the 5th seed of the Eastern Conference.


The 76ers would defeat the 4th seed Charlotte Hornets in 1st round, before losing to a Reggie Miller led Indiana Pacer squad.


During this season he would finally get his first All-Star appearance and be named to the All-NBA Second Team. He would end the season 7th in MVP voting.


Here is a look at how he fared against the other MVP contenders of the 1999-2000 season:



Iverson's Best Season


The 2000-2001 season is AI's masterclass. He helped the 76ers to a franchise record 10 - 0 start which turned into a 56-26 record come the end of the season. Leading Philadelphia to the best record in the Eastern Conference.


Iverson was named an All-Star starter, subsequently winning the All-Star game MVP. He won another scoring title, averaging 31.1 Points Per Game. He also led the NBA in Steals Per Game with a 2.5 average. Iverson would collect his first Most Valuable Player award this season, earning 93 first place votes out of a possible 124. AI was now the shortest ever player to win the MVP award, a claim he still holds to this day.


Allen Iverson stepping over Tyronne Lue

Playoff AI turned it up another notch. He led the 76ers past the Indiana Pacers in the first round, a team that had sent them home the previous two seasons. Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors were next in the second round. They would take the 76ers to a game seven, where AI and Philly came out victorious. Then in the Eastern Conference finals, future Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen and the Milwaukee Bucks took the 76ers to another game seven. Philadelphia would win this game too, making them the Eastern Conference Champions and booking a ticket to the NBA Finals.


Awaiting them in the NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers. A team that had not lost in the Playoffs yet. A team led by one of the most iconic duo's in NBA history, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.


Iverson had an astonishing first game, where he scored a playoff-high forty-eight points. Game 1 was also the game where Allen infamously stepped over future championship winning coach Tyronne Lue, after hitting a crucial shot late in the game.

The 76ers would end up losing the remaining four games and the series, a bittersweet end to his best overall season.


Here is a look at how good Iverson was during the Playoffs, with a comparison to his Regular Season averages (Regular Season stats that won him the MVP).



A Slow Descent from Peak From


Coming off their final’s appearance the expectations for AI and the 76ers were sky high. They did not live up to the hype. The 76ers were projected top of the Eastern Conference for the 2001-2002 season, but they barely mustered a .500 record with a 43-39 record. Iverson had multiple injuries throughout the season, causing him to miss twenty-two games. Allen still had respectable stats 11.1 Field Goals Per Game and 31.4 Points Per Game.


During this season Iverson had another infamous moment when he was criticized for missing practices. Iverson muttered such phrases as "We sittin' here, I'm supposed to be a franchise player, and we in here talkin' about practice" and said the word "practice" over 20 times.


The Sixers lost in the first round to the Boston Celtics this season.


The 2002-2003 season Iverson's stats regressed even more. He averaged 27.6 Points Per Game off 9.8 Field Goals Per Game. Iverson's supporting casts were regressing as well, Dikembe Mutumbo was traded, and key players Aaron McKee and Eric Snow were not performing at the level of their capability.


The 76ers lost in the second round of the playoffs, ending with a 48-34 record. Iverson was getting unsettled in Philadelphia. Larry Brown left Philadelphia after the 2003 season. Iverson would have a new coach in the NBA for the first time.


Allen Iverson with 76ers teammates

For the 2003-2004 season the 76ers hired Randy Ayers as the new coach. Ayers coached Ohio State for 8 years and was an Assistant Coach under Larry Brown from 1999-2003 before being promoted to head coach.


AI and Ayers did not get along well. The 76ers struggled even more, and with a 21-31 record, Ayers was fired and replaced by an interim coach Chris Ford.


Iverson's stats for the 2003-2004 were his worst in years. He averaged 26.4 Points Per Game off 9.1 Field Goals Per Game and missed thirty-four games. The 76ers missed the playoffs for the first time since Iverson's 2nd season.


Here are stat comparisons between the three seasons that followed his trip to the finals.



Back to Form


The 2004-2005 season Iverson bounced back from his dip in form the last three seasons. He gained some help with the 76ers drafting Andre Iguodala and later trading for All-Star forward Chris Webber. During this season Iverson scored a career high sixty points in a game versus Orlando. Iverson also had another game this season with a career-high 16 assists versus Cleveland.

Iverson would end the season with his fourth scoring title, leading the league in Points Per Game. He averaged 30.7 Points Per Game, 7.9 Assists Per Game, and 4 Rebounds Per Game. He would place 5th in MVP voting.


The Bubble Graph below compares the stats of the seven highest MVP votes for the 2004-2005 season. This graph is interesting because it highlights a change in the NBA. Steve Nash wins the first of his back-to-back MVP's, even though the only category he leads in is Assists Per Game.



Goodbye Philly


During the 2005-2006 season Iverson was averaging a career-high in Points Per Game with 33 a game. However the 76ers were not winning and discontent started to brew in Philadelphia as they would miss the playoffs this season.


Trade rumors began to heat up tremendously and it was reported that Iverson demanded a trade himself, a report Iverson would deny. Tensions boiled as the 76ers would stop playing Iverson for a time as Philly explored options. The Sixers chairman announced during a nationally televised interview that they were going to trade him. Iverson would be traded to the Denver Nuggets to partner with a young Carmelo Anthony. The two highest scorers in the NBA on the same team.


Allen Iverson with Carmelo Anthony playing for Denver

The Sunset Years


During his time in Denver Iverson was not the primary option, which would unofficially go to Carmelo Anthony as he was young and just as good at scoring. Iverson's stats took a hit during his three seasons in Denver. He averaged 25.6 Points Per Game, 3 Rebounds Per Game, and 1.9 Steals Per Game.


The Nuggets did make the playoffs in two out of Iverson's three seasons with the team, losing in the first round twice. Iverson would still make the All-Star team during this time, despite the hit in his stats.


Iverson was traded to the Detroit Pistons during the 2008-2009 season. He would only start fifty games for the club before being relegated to the bench for Rodney Stuckey.

AI only averaged 17.4 Points Per Game, 4.9 Assists Per Game, and 3.1 Rebounds Per Game.


Allen Iverson with the Detroit Pistons

Detroit would not renew his contract.


In a move that is sure to show up at your local bar's NBA Trivia Night, Iverson would then sign with the Memphis Grizzlies, but only played 3 games with the team before mutually agreeing to terminate his contract.


Allen Iverson with the Memphis Grizzlies

Later on in the 2009-2010 NBA season, Iverson would return back to Philadelphia.


He only played twenty-five more games with the team before leaving indefinitely for personal reasons. His 4-year-old daughter had a serious health condition and Iverson wanted to spend time supporting her. He did not return to playing basketball for the rest of the season and had played his final game in the NBA.


Iverson did make a brief return to basketball in 2010, playing for Besiktas, a Turkish Super League club. He only played ten games for that club before having to have surgery on his calf.


He may not have known it at the time, but AI had played his final professional basketball game. Iverson would not officially announce his retirement until 2013.


The graph below summarizes and compares all of Iverson's stats for the 4 NBA teams he played for.



Conclusion


Iverson accomplished all this while being only six-foot tall. The average height of players in the NBA was 6'6 in 2022.


He may not have always had a good relationship with his coaches or have a mild manner on the court, but skill was never an issue.


He battled adversity in his younger years, with the civil rights issues in Hampton during High School and pedantic injuries throughout his NBA career.


He led a struggling Philadelphia team to the playoff’s multiple times, eventually to the Finals. Iverson made the playoffs in more than half of his NBA seasons.


For me, the reason I decided to write about AI for this article, he was unique and always played with this swagger about him that made him so fun to watch. There have always been generational players, but sometimes these players that have amazing skills are cookie-cutter fundamental players. I am sure those type of players is great for results, but as a selfish mutual fan I want to be excited while watching the game. Iverson had all the aforementioned but did it with spice!


AI will always mean Allen Iverson to me.


Allen Iverson retirement




Software Tools and Techniques Used for this Article

  • Excel

    • Method:

    • Features Used:

      • Excel Formulas

      • Excel Tables

  • Tableau

    • Method:

      • Data Interactive data visualizations using imported XLSX data.

    • Features Used:

      • Parameters

      • Calculations

      • Interactive Bar Graphs

      • Interactive Text Tables

      • Interactive Bubble Graphs



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