Allen Iverson Story Preview - click here for more
 Allen grew up in the projects as the son of a 15-year old single mother. Their house in Hampton, Virginia lay on top of the city's sewers. Whenever they burst, the floor would be coated with sewage. Iverson's biological father who stayed in Connecticut (where the family lived before Allen was born), never played any role in his life, and earlier this year, pledged guilty to stabbing a former girlfriend.

Allen Iverson The Truth Preview - click here for more
 Before I let you know my opinion about this whole "posse" thing, here are some facts: Rahsaan Langford is 24, from New York. Used to attend Norfolk State. Has known Allen Iverson since he was 14. Says he visits a lot. Langford is one of Iverson's friends who frequently wait for the 76ers rookie guard after practice, who sometimes plays halfcourt basketball while Iverson is showering or watching postpractice film.

Allen Iverson Dunks Preview - click here for more
 You've all seen it. Yeah, you know what I mean, the passion. When Iverson slams the ball...man, I just love to watch it. He goes up, launching with both feet, then skies in with th ball in his right hand, body stretched out, and then, BAM, slams it, bending his head down, lifting his knees to his waist. Then, he lifts his body up to the basket, lets go of the rim, and falls down with his body in the excact same shape as when he slammed it. Now, that's art. It's so much passion involved in that finish, I can't explain it. Looking at Iverson dunking gives me a mental boost. You say Mike can jam? Well, it's time to move over, Mike, Iverson is in the house.

Allen Iverson Story

Background Allen grew up in the projects as the son of a 15-year old single mother. Their house in Hampton, Virginia lay on top of the city's sewers. Whenever they burst, the floor would be coated with sewage. Iverson's biological father Allen Broughton who stayed in Connecticut , where the family lived before Allen was born, never played any role in his life, and earlier this year, pledged guilty to stabbing a former girlfriend. Shortly after being born his maternal grandmother - often the pillar in an inner-city family - passed away as well.

 Mom Ann had a hard time making ends meet, and the house was often without water or electricity because of unpaid bills. "She did whatever she had to do," Allen explains, while refusing to elaborate on that cryptic statement. Growing up, Iverson was often responsible for taking care of his younger sisters Brandy (born 1979) and Liesha (1991), which was especially difficult with the toddler, who suffered frequent seizures.

Mounting medical bills pushed the family further in debt. Ann's boyfriend, Allen's de facto father, Michael Freeman has been in and out of jail all of his life. After a car accident got him unemployed once again in 1991, desperate for money Freeman was caught and convicted for drug possesion with intent to distribute. "I didn't buy cadillacs and diamond rings," Freeman explains, "I was payin' bills."

 Iverson used to blame the man who taught him how to play basketball and pushed him to excel at it. Today he's proud of Freeman. "He never robbed nobody," said Allen. "He was just tryin' to feed his family. It would kill him to come from jail and find out how his family was living. One time he came home and just sat down and cried." Today he's serving time in the same Virginia jail where Allen was sent in 1993.

 Iverson's mom early saw Allen's basketball skills as a ticket to get out of the projects and live a normal life. She encouraged Allen to keep playing the game he loved so much.. Every time his mother saw him to lose heart she told him "go till the end every time u see the chance". Despite his rather short and slim body, Allen was never afraid of challenging bigger guys on the court.

 Iverson recalls from his childhood:"Coming home, no lights, no food,sometimes no water. Then when there was water, no hot water. Living in a house where the sewer was busted under the house and having to watch my sister walk around in her socks all day because the floor was wet from the sewage. The smell was making my sister sick." Many NBA players grew up in broken homes and tough neighbourhoods and were driven to play basketball with one hope: escape the ghetto. Few had it as bad as him, though.
 

Going to Jail - was it injustice? In a life that hadn't been a "sunshine story", Iverson was left standing in the middle of a brawl between black and white students in a bowling alley. One Valenite's Day, Iverson and some friends - all jocks and black - walked into a Hampton Bowling Alley. Allen was already a locar sports hero, having quarterbacked Bethel High School's football team to the state championship only two months earlier, and in the process of leading the basketball squad to the same trophy. He was probably the best known person in the city that night.

Allen's crowd was loud and had to be asked to quiet down several times, and eventually something of a shouting duel began with another group of youths. The only undisputable fact is that shortly thereafter a huge fight erupted, pitting the local white kids against the blacks. 17-year old Iverson was tried as an adult, convicted of maiming by mob, and sentenced to five years for throwing a chair at a girl.

Virginia's first black Governor, Doug Wilder, granted him conditional release after four months behind bars. The trial and the verdict set off an national debate on race politics. Iverson and his supporters maintain his innocence. Allen cannot be seen on an amateur video if the incident, and he claims he left the alley as soon as the trouble began. "For me to be in a bowling alley where everybody in the whole place know who I am and be crackin' people upside the head with chairs and think nothin' gonna happen?" asks Iverson. "That's crazy! And what kind of a man would I be to hit a girl in the head with a damn chair? I wish at least they'd said I hit some damn man."

Allen's supporters were enraged that only four people got charged after the fight - all four were blacks.  They were upset with the media's allegedly blased coverage of the incident. And they claim the whole thing started when one of the white boys called Iverson a nigger. "It's strange enough that police waded through a huge mob of fighting people and came out with only blacks and the one black that everybody knew,"said Golden Frinks, crisis co-ordinator for the National Association for Advancement of Coloured People. "People thought they'd get a slap on the wrist and that would be the end of it. Instead, prosecutors used a Civil War-era statute designed to protect blacks from lynching to charge a group of black teens with mob violence. And the judge, who was friends with one of the victims family, first denied them bail and then sentenced them all four to 15 years on prison."

"A Fight!" said Newport News minister Marcellus Harris. "They were given long prison sentences because they got in a fight in a bowling alley. On the other hand, numerous witnesses un-aligned with either of the two crowds bowling that night testified Allen threw a chair at the girl. No-one else heard the racial epithet. "During a break in the fight, the girl went up to one of the black guys and said: ' Why do you have to make this racial?'" explained Kristi Alligood, one of the witnesses. "He just pressed two fingers against her face and pushed her away. The young man was Iverson." And a bowling center employee testified that Iverson used a different chair to hit him over the head as well.

The prosecutor, a life-long member of NAACP himself, insists that none of the blacks in the fight wanted to pursue charges, and points out that several black witnesses also identified Iverson as the main culprit. What really happened that night in Hampton will perhaps never be known. Two things matter more: based on his personality and behaviour, everyone agrees that it is at least plausible that Iverson was indeed guilty. "He's one of the most competitive kids I've ever seen," said Bo Williams, who runs a summer camp where Iverson used to play. "He's not one to back down, but that doesn't mean he's violent either, just cocky." And perhaps at least partly because of his attitude, he was sent to jail, an experience that would profoundly affect the way he views the world, and to a large extent the way the world identifies him.
 

College prep and college Sitting in jail in the spring of 1993, he was justifiably worried about his prospects. Although extremely bright, Iverson was never a good student and was falling behind in school. The notoriety didn't help. "I'm sure some colleges will stay away," Iverson said from his cell. "But it'll work out. This has given me time to think about what I need to do to succeed in the world."

 Iverson has made a name for himself the previous summer. At the Nike Camp in Indianapolis, and at four others, he earned the MVP trophy as a member of Bo Williams' team. In fact, Nike continued treating him as a celebrity during the trial, sending an extra set of plane tickets so that Iverson would not miss any camp activities while the trial was in progress. (Prosecutors used this special privilege to urge jurors to Just Do It to Iverson and Nike, which they did.)

"He's almost an overnight sensation," said Williams, who also coached NBA stars Alonzo Mourning and JR Reid on his team. "With Alonzo and JR everyone knew they were going to be great, so they could slowly be prepared for the pressures they were going to face. With Allen, it happened so quickly that there was almost no time to prepare him."

Throughout the trial, college coaches were still interested. "Unless he's behind bars, we're recruiting him," said George Washington assistant coach Eddie Meyers. "It's as simple as that." But Iverson did go to jail. While sitting there, he lost a scholarship offer from Kentucky. I'm sure that if Allen had ended up at Kentucky he wouldn't have been the same player, the same person he is now. And in the end John Thompson and Georgetown seemed the best bet, since the coach is renowed for taking risks and giving urban kids with troubled pasts a shot at division one basketball.

'Cause instead of giving up basketball, Allen went to Georgetown, the prestigious catholic school that has found it's position in the projects. There he found what he had been searching for his whole life - a father. Coach John Thompson took care of Iverson who needed a protective coach who could give him advice.

After two great years at Georgetown, Allen left "dad" and announced himself eligable for the NBA draft. He probably did this to get his family out of the projects before it was too late. Iverson says: "If I can leave this planet knowing that my friends and family are alright, that's good enough for me. That's all I need to know." The rest of the story remains to be seen.
 
 

At college After two outstanding seasons at Georgetown, Allen Iverson was the first  player picked in the 1996 NBA Draft. Iverson, who was  named First Team All-America by the Associated Press as a sophomore, started 66 of 67 career games and led Georgetown in scoring both of his  two seasons. He was also selected as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. As a sophomore, Iverson led the Hoyas in  scoring (25.0 ppg), assists (4.7 apg) and steals (3.35 spg). As a freshman  Iverson was named the Big East Rookie of the Year after averaging a team-leading 20.4 points and 4.5 assists. Read More

Named first team All-America by the Associated Press as a sophomore
Led georgetown in scoring both his seasons
Named Big East Defensive player of the year both seasons
Unanimous All-Big East first team selection, leading the hoyas in scoring (25 ppg), assists (4.7 apg) and steals (3.35 spg)
Averaged 27.8 ppg in four NCAA Tournament games
Scored 30 or more points in 10 games during 1995-96 season
Set single-season school record with 124 steals

Rookie season 96/97  Iverson quickly established himself as a premier NBA backcourtman,  winning Rookie of the Month honors in November and going on from there to  a brilliant season in which he was named Rookie of the Month again in April  and Schick Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-Rookie First Team  following the season.

 Iverson led the Sixers with 23.5 points (sixth in the NBA), 7.5 assists (11th) and 2.07 steals (seventh) in 40.1 minutes  (eighth) per game, leading all NBA rookies in each category. Though he shot just .416 from the field, his 155 three-pointers easily led the team and he  connected on .341 from behind the arc. Iverson finished strongly, averaging  39.0 ppg in his final eight games, including five in a row in which he scored  40 or more--the only rookie in NBA history to do so. Included in that burst  was a career-high 50-point outing in a 125-118 loss at Cleveland on April  12, when he became the second-youngest player (21 years, 310 days) in NBA history to reach the 50-point plateau. Rick Barry was 21 years, 261 days old when he scored 57 for San Francisco on Dec. 14, 1965.

Iverson scored in double figures in 73 of the 76 games in which he played, getting  30 or more points 20 times. He also reached double figures in assists 18 times, including a career-high 15 (with 32 points) in a 119-113 loss to  Boston on April 18. He averaged 4.1 rebounds, a high number for a point  guard, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds (with 32 points and seven  assists) in a 115-113 loss at Charlotte on April 5.

 Iverson was the Most Valuable Player of the Schick Rookie Game at All-Star Weekend, scoring  19 points and handing out nine assists in 26 minutes. He also was invited  to compete in the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk but withdrew due to injury.

  Won the 1996-97 Schick NBA Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the first 76er to ever win the award, and to the 1996-97 NBA All-Rookie First team
Named NBA Rookie of the Month for April, 1997, leading the league with 33.6 ppg and leading all rookies with 8.7 apg
Led the 76ers in 1996-97 in scoring (23.5 ppg, 6th in the NBA), assists (7.5 apg, 11th) and steals (2.07 spg, 7th) and set the Sixers' all-time rookie record with 1,787 points
Scored 40 points in five straight games in April to set an NBA rookie record, including a career-high 50 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on 4/12/97
Named MVP of the Schick Rookie Game during the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend, posting 19 points and a game-high 9 assists
Named NBA Rookie of the Month for November, 1997, leading all rookies in scoring (21.8 ppg), assists (6.4 apg) and steals (2.67 spg)
Scored 30 points in his NBA debut, against the Milwaukee Bucks on 11/1/96

 
 

Second season 97/98  Philly had a terrible 96-97 season despite Iverson's scoring and passing. The team needed more great players. They already had Iverson, Coleman and Stackhouse, but needed more. In a deal that sent Stack to Detroit and Theo Ratliff to Philadelphia, Sixers GM Pat Groce hoped that the team would grow on Ratliff's strong defense and valuable experience. But the Sixers still struggled.

 Iverson continued playing great, but they didn't win enough games. Iverson for the second straight year has put up great numbers. Even though his scoring dropped from 23.5 in 96/97 to 22 this year, Allen became more of a team player .He was willing to pass more, and he wanted to win. Iverson kept getting bad publicity and  it's quite amazing that Iverson could play at the same high level despite all the bad publicity. How? He simply didn't care about what people meant.

You gotta be a strong person to do that. And Iverson is, but he admitted that the publicity sometimes got tiring. "I don't know why people dislike me. I play basketball, I take care of things off the court. Why criticize me when I'm trying my hardest? ". Later on, the Sixers acquired Joe Smith from Golden State Warriors. Smith, one of Iverson's best friends, and their relationship goes all the way back to High School. Well, now they had  strong offensive tandem with Iverson and Smith. But it didn't help. Philly ended up last.
 
 

Led the 76ers in 1997-98 in scoring (22.0 ppg, 8th in the NBA), assists (6.2 apg, 16th) and steals (2.20 spg, 5th)
Scored a 1997-98 season-high 43 points and grabbed 4 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 4/10/98
Named NBA Player of the Week for the week ending 1/18/98, averaging 25.3 ppg, 7.6 apg and 4.3 rpg for the 3-0 76ers
 

98-99 season
Named to the 1998-99 All-NBA First Team after leading the NBA in scoring (26.8 ppg) and ranking 3rd in steals (2.29 spg) ... Led the Sixers in scoring, three-pointers made (58) and attempted (199) and steals, and ranked 2nd on the team in assists (4.6 apg) ... Totaled a game-high 38 points (15-28 FG), 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals in a 103-86 victory over the Orlando Magic on 4/25 ... Posted a game-high 32 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals against the Washington Wizards on 4/11 ... Registered game-highs of 41 points and 10 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds, in a 105-90 win over the L.A. Lakers on 3/19 ... Recorded a game-high 39 points (13-21 FG), 7 rebounds and 3 assists in a 114-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers on 3/17 ...

 Scored his 4,000th career point, totaling a game-high 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, against the Miami Heat on 3/5 ... Named NBA Player of the Month for February, averaging a league-leading 28.5 ppg, 6.0 apg, 5.8 rpg and 2.31 spg to lead the 76ers to an 8-5 record ... Posted game-highs of 23 points (2-4 3FG) and 9 assists and grabbed 9 rebounds against the Milwaukee Bucks on 2/16 ... Registered a game-high 46 points (14-26 FG, 3-6 3FG, 15-17 FT), 7 rebounds and 6 assists against the San Antonio Spurs on 2/12.
 
 

99-00 season:  Iverson scored a career-high 28.4 points per game in his fourth pro season, finishing second behind the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal in the scoring race. He also averaged 4.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.06 steals in 40.8 minutes per game, shooting .421 from the field, .341 from three-point range and .713 from the foul line. He ranked third in the NBA in steals and minutes and first in field goal attempts (1,733), while he led the Sixers in field goals (729), three-pointers (89) and free throws (442).
Allen Iverson averaged 28.4 points per game in his fourth season.

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He led the NBA in scoring from Nov. 14 to March 20, when he relinquished the lead to O'Neal. He played in 70 games, missing 10 from Nov. 24-Dec. 10 due to a broken right thumb, one because of synovitis in his right elbow and a fractured toe and one on a league suspension.

He matched his career-high and set a First Union Center record with 50 points against Sacramento on career-highs of 20 field goals made in 40 attempts. He scored in double figures in 69 of his 70 games played , with 56 games of 20 points, 32 games of 30 points and eight games of 40 points. He led the 76ers in scoring a career-best 24 straight games from Dec. 15-Feb. 6 and 61 times overall. He was held to five points on 2-for-18 from the field at Washington on March 2.

He barely missed his first career triple-double against Orlando on March 19 when he scored 18 points, dished a season-high 10 assists and had a career-high nine steals, including seven steals in the first half. He had streaks of 17 and 14 consecutive games with at least one steal, and an 11-game streak with at least two steals in each game.

Iverson started for the East in the 2000 All-Star Game and led all scorers with 26 points in 28 minutes, shooting 10-for-18 from the field including 2-for-2 from three-point range and 4-for-5 from the foul line. He also handed out a team-high nine assists.

He started all 10 playoff games and averaged 44.4 minutes per game despite being hampered by a number of nagging injuries. He averaged 26.2 points, 4.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.20 steals per game, with a high of 40 points in the First Round opener at Charlotte on April 22.
 
 

2000-01 season
Named the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA's MVP ... started 71 games, missing 11 due to injury ... won his second scoring title in three years by averaging 31.1 point per game ... first player since Michael Jordan (30.4 per game) in 1996 to average more than 30 points per game ... NBA's steals leader with 2.51 and second in total steals (178) ... in the NBA, ranked 2nd in total free throws (585), 4th in free throw attempts (719) and 1st in minutes per game (42.0) ... Sixers were 12-5 when he scored 40 plus ... Sixers were 6-5 without Iverson in the lineup, all due to injury ... led the team in scoring in 65 of the 82 games ... .scored 20 or more in 61 of the 71 games he played in ... scored in double figures in 60-straight games to end the season ... scored 30 or more 35 times ... led the team in assists 14 times ... named to the 2001 All-NBA First Team ... named NBA Player of the Week twice (1/7 and 2/18) ... named the NBA's Player of the Month for January ... named the All-Star Game's MVP after leading the Eastern Conference All-Stars to a come from behind win at the MCI Center ... named a starter for the second straight season to the Eastern Conference All-Star team ... scored a career-high 54 points against Cleveland, the fifth best mark in franchise history and the second highest mark in the NBA this season ... recorded a First Union Center floor record with 20 points in the first quarter; finished with 42 points against the Clippers (2/16) ... scored all 10 of the Sixers points in overtime against Toronto (1/21) to give him 51 for the game, his second 50-point plus game of the season and the fourth in his career ... playing point for the injured Eric Snow, he passed for a season-high 10 assists in the win over Portland (12/8) ... with a then career-high tying 10 rebounds, he had his first double-double this season; it was Iverson's first double-double since Mar. 19, 2000 versus Orlando and first point/rebound double-double since April 11, 1999 at Washington ... scored a season-low seven points at Charlotte (11/22), two shy of his career low

2001 PLAYOFFS: Averaged 32.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.4 steals in 46.2 minutes per game ... started and played in 22 of 23 games, missing one game due to injury (5/26) ... led the team in scoring in 18 of the 23 games and in assists in 10 games ... scored in double figures in 41 straight Playoff games dating to May 9, 1999 ... recorded Playoff career-highs in almost every category, including a Sixers Playoff record 54 points in Game 2 versus Toronto (5/9) ... set five NBA Finals records for a five-game series, including most points (178), most field goals (66) and most three-point field goals attempted (39) ... played the Milwaukee and Los Angeles series with a left sacroiliac joint contusion suffered in Game 7 versus Toronto; the injury caused him to miss Game 3 at Milwaukee (5/26) ... grabbed a Playoff career-high 12 rebounds in Game 3 of the NBA Finals (6/10) versus Los Angeles ... his 48 points in Game 1 (6/6) of the NBA Finals was the sixth best mark in Finals history ... scored a game-high 44 points in Game 7 versus Milwaukee (6/3), ranking tied for fourth in NBA history for most points in a Game 7 ... passed for a Playoff career-high 16 assists in Game 7 versus Toronto (5/20), the most assists for a Sixer in the Playoffs since Mo Cheeks had 16 against New York in 1989 ... became the second player (Michael Jordan) to score 50 or more points twice in a Playoff series when he scored 52 points in Game 5 versus Toronto (5/16) while setting a Sixers single-game Playoff record with eight three pointers, one shy of the NBA record ... tied his Playoff career-high with 21 field goals in Game 5 ... scored a Sixers single-game Playoff record and is tied for 10th in NBA Playoff history with 54 points in Game 2 versus Toronto (5/9).