Throughout our life, we leave an impact on all the people we interact with. Indirectly and directly. This is the case for one of the best scorers of all-time in NBA history in Allen Iverson. Iverson has inspired millions of people in his 17-year career. He embraced a fan base that loved their team already. He embodied the grittiness and toughness that the city embodied. The Philadelphia 76ers and Allen Iverson will always synonymous because they are a spitting image of each other.
While Iverson didn’t go out the way that he wanted we still remember him as one of the all-time greats. A bonafide superstar was forced to seek refuge on the bench late in his career. He was able to give Philadelphia fans one more go at it as a member of the Sixers. He even was about to suit up for the Big 3 post-retirement in Philadelphia. Iverson had a great career because he was a great talent yes but also because he changed the game forever.
Allen Iverson: Best Short Scorer in NBA History
How Dominant Allen Iverson Was
Iverson in his prime was one of the most dominant players in NBA history. All at just 6’0 tall. He had the uncanny ability to turn offense into defense. For his career, he averaged 2.2 steals per game. He is ninth on the all-time list in terms of steals per game. One ability that Iverson had that nobody talks about was his ability to not get tired. Iverson is fourth all-time in terms of minutes per game with 41.1. The players that are ahead of him are Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Oscar Robertson. Those players were guys that played 40-50 years before him. Iverson has been retired for 10 years and nobody has been able to pass him.
Iverson was a four-time scoring champ. His first title was his third year in the league in 1998-99, the second one was 2000-01 when he won the MVP award, the third was the next year and the fourth was 2004-05. He made it to the All-Star team for 11 straight years. He was so popular as a player that he was selected even during the Memphis Grizzlies years. Also, during his last stint with the Sixers.
Iverson started out playing point guard during his early seasons in the league but then he was able to move to shooting guard at only 6’0 in which he dominated for so many years. In fact, if you look at the top 25 scorers of all-time Iverson is the shortest player in the top 25. Just imagine if he was 6’6.
How He Changed the NBA
One of the ways you equate a dominant player and megastar is their ability to change the game. These players are so special that they are able to change how the NBA operates and even the rules. Iverson’s MVP speech in which he didn’t dress down changed the NBA forever. The league brought down a strict dress code policy that saw players coming to the games and All-Star games in suits like they were Michael Jordan. From what you see NBA players wearing today it looks like the NBA has finally lightened up.
Julius Erving was a streetball legend but Iverson brought streetball to the NBA in a whole new sense. His iconic crossover was a move that you would see in streetball games. Iverson was doing that move in games and making defenders look silly. The NBA actually enforced stricter palming rules due to his crossover. Today you see players like Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry that are dribbling maestros. Iverson started all of that.
Allen Iverson is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history and he changed the game forever. His career is the stuff of legends.
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