Allen Iverson

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Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975 in Hampton, Virginia) is an American professional basketball player. He is an All-Star point guard and shooting guard for the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers franchise.


Contents

Life

While attending Bethel High School in Hampton, Iverson was a spectacular all-around athlete who was regarded as one of the top high school basketball players in the country. 

He concentrated on basketball, enrolling at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he played for legendary college coach John Thompson.


NBA Career

Later known as "A.I." or "The Answer," Allen Iverson was originally selected with the first pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and has led the team in scoring ever since. As a rookie he quickly gained national popularity for a famous left-to-right crossover dribble which caused defenders problems, most notably Michael Jordan, one of the premier players of all time, to stumble awkwardly. At just 6'0" and a skinny 165 pounds (1.83 m, 75 kg), Iverson employs his superior quickness, virtuoso ball handling ability, and massive heart to single-handedly carry his team on his back. He had his best season in 2001, leading the NBA in scoring, winning the Most Valuable Player Award, and reaching the NBA Finals. In these finals, the 76ers faced a powerful Los Angeles Lakers squad that featured Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers had reached the final series undefeated throughout the playoffs, and most of the basketball world expected the Lakers to easily handle the 76ers. But Allen Iverson carried his team to a shocking overtime victory in the series opener at in Los Angeles, and nearly upset the Lakers again in game two.

The NBA changed several rules during the off-season, and allowed zone defenses. These new rules have since limited Iverson's effectiveness somewhat, but he was still able to lead the NBA in steals and minutes played while maintaining his high scoring output. In fact, Iverson has led the NBA in scoring four times (1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, and 2004-05,) and, in the process, has tied George Gervin for the third-most scoring titles. He only trails Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

On February 12, 2005, Iverson scored a career-high 60 points against the Orlando Magic.

He had lavishly praised then-76ers head coach Larry Brown, often saying that he would not have reached the heights that he has in the sport without Brown's guidance. He had a love-hate relationship with Brown, however. After the 76ers were defeated in the first round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, Brown criticized Iverson for missing team practices. Iverson later held a press conference in which he said: "We're talking about practice. We're not even talking about the game, the actual game, when it matters. We're talking about practice."

Iverson later reunited with Brown as a member and co-captain of the 2004 USA Olympics basketball team. However, the were only able to win the bronze medal. A gold medal had been expected. Iverson, along with teammate LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, were benched during a game, when they were late to a practice session. The United States team had a dismal start against Germany who had failed to qualify for the Olympic competition. However Iverson kept the game from going into overtime with a miraculous half-court shot in the closing seconds.

In 2003, Allen Iverson was ranked 7th on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA players of all time.


Controversy

Allen Iverson has, at times, been a controversial figure.

Dating back to his teenage years, Iverson has had trouble with the law. One highly publicized incident that jeopardized his college career involved his role in a fight between black and white patrons at a bowling alley. Iverson maintained his innocence, but was convicted. However, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction. Nonetheless, Iverson could never live down the reputation he had gained. Malicious rumors were spread throughout his time at Georgetown University. However, later incidents have even led some supporters to reconsider the rumors. For instance, it was alleged that Iverson had threatened his wife with a handgun, but he was later acquitted of the charges.

Iverson also attempted to release a rap album named "40 Bars" under the alias "Jewelz". The cover of the album featured Iverson holding a large pile of diamonds in his hands. However, Iverson eventually scrapped plans to release it.

His 30th birthday party went awry on June 7, 2005. He was initially denied entry to his own birthday party (which was held at the Garden of Eden Club in Los Angeles) by a bouncer who told him that he couldn't enter because one of President Bush's daughters and the Secret Service were inside the club. To make the situation look even worse for Iverson, the bouncers quickly admitted troubled former child star Todd Bridges. In reality, it was a prank being filmed for the television series "Punk'd",

Iverson took the gag in stride, then, 27 days later, successfully played the same prank on the Indiana Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal. It was aired on MTV on July 3, 2005.

The public image of Iverson drastically improved with his decision to play on the 2004 USA Olympic Team. Many All-Star and headline players who had originally agreed to play for the team backed out. This left the team with Iverson, the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan, and LeBron James (who was still a rookie,) as the only true "name" players on the team. Iverson's show of national pride, sacrifice, and performance aided in his improved public image.


NBA Dress Code Controversy

On October 17, 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern, instituted a mandatory dress code for all NBA players. Stern's edict stated that all players must dress in conservative attire while acting within the purview of their employment by an NBA franchise in public, or when acting as a representative of the league in public.

Stern banned what critics and supporters call "hip-hop culture"-related attire such as throwback jerseys, jeans, hats, t-shirts, large items of jewelry, and Timberland boots. Punishment for violations would include fines and possible suspensions for repeat violations.

Iverson, Tim Duncan, the Indiana Pacers' Stephen Jackson and the Boston Celtics' Paul Pierce countered that Stern's dress code would not change a person's character regardless of what type of clothing they wore, and that associating hip-hop styles of dress with violent crime, drugs, or a bad image is racist. Many players and pundits contend that David Stern is hypocritical considering that the NBA exploits the culture when it suits them. For instance, the advertising of many prominent NBA sponsors, such as Nike, Reebok, Puma and Adidas were heavily influenced by the hip-hop culture.


External links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Allen_Iverson.html"


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