Who is Allen Iverson?

 

    5’10, 165; could you believe that there is a person of this size that is one of the most dominant scorers in the history of the NBA, a league of giants in which he shares the court with seven footers, attacking the rim with impressive fearlessness and unstoppable aggression? Yes, this person is real and his name is Allen “The Answer” Iverson. As extracted from Basketball Reference.com, Allen Iverson was born in 1975 in the projects of Hampton, Virginia to Ann Iverson and Allen Broughton, but was raised by mostly just by his mother. He started out as a football player. In fact he had to be dragged by his mother when he was eight years old to the gym, where he soon fell in love with the game of basketball.

He was just as good in football as he was at basketball in high school, which was pretty great. His junior and senior year in high school, he won the player of the year award in Virginia for     both Basketball and Football. He talks about it in his hall of fame speech; he says, “Crazy to think that you’re the best football player in the world, which I did, and to be and to be sitting up here as a Hall of Famer in basketball; you tell me God ain’t good?” (Joseph).

    Allen Iverson had very interesting, illustrious career in the National Basketball League. He was in the NBA for fourteen seasons. He was the first overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. This was the same draft that had Kobe bryant, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Peja Stojakovic, Marcus Camby, and Stephon Marbury. These names may not mean much to you other than Kobe Bryant, but with the exception of Marcus Camby and Peja Stojakovic, who were good players, were all-time great players. He was an eleven time all-star, winning the All-star game MVP two times, in 2001 and 2005. He won rookie of the year in 1997. He got four NBA Scoring titles and won a Most valuable player award in 2001. He carried the undisputed worst team to ever reach the finals to a win an away game against arguably the best team of all time in the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, scoring forty-eight of the team’s one-hundred and seven point with five steals and six assists in fifty-two minutes of action (“Allen Iverson Stats”).

    Allen Iverson had many struggles, obstacles, and roadblocks before and during his time in the NBA. When he was junior in high school, in 1993, he and a few friends were involved in an altercation at bowling alley. A big brawl broke out and in the end Iverson, who was seventeen,  was convicted as an adult of a felony. He was accused of hitting a woman in the head with a chair, but his charges were reduced after some footage showed Iverson leaving the bowling alley before the fighting began. He spent four months in jail. Because of all this negative attention, every school that was recruiting him for both basketball and football rescinded their offers. The only school to give him an offer was Georgetown, after coach John Thompson met with him. He later said that Coach Thompsons decision saved his life (Chernicky).
    Allen Iverson’s influence was felt off the court as much if not more than on the court. Although disliked by the NBA’s administration Allen Iverson was revered by players and fans. He was relatable and unique at the same time. Nobody was as quick as Iverson. Nobody had handles like Iverson. Nobody was as real as Iverson. He was as real as it got. The league didn’t change Iverson, Iverson changed the league. As Bryan Toporek puts it, “His stylistic choices, from baggy clothes to cornrows, forced the league to confront its relationship with urban culture directly.” In 2006, the league made a mandatory dress code for all active NBA players. Many believed that this was because of Iverson and the way he dressed. From an article written by Isaiah Smalls, ”And everyone else followed. Soon, sweatsuits and do-rags were the norm. This soon became a problem for NBA front offices — the league was becoming too black. In response, commissioner David Stern instituted a highly controversial dress code policy before the 2005-06 season that essentially outlawed most of Iverson’s wardrobe.”He was targeted by the league for what he described as dressing how people from where he grew up dress. He started the culture of the NBA and influence it to be where it is now. Before him, nobody wore cornrows or had tattoos. In 2001 Iverson started wearing a sleeve on his right arm to relieve pain. He went off for 51 points and decided to keep wearing it every game. Before him these were not regularly used. Seventeen years later sixty-five percent of NBA players wear a shooting sleeve or legging at least. Also from Smalls’ article, “Iverson’s impact can’t be measured in points and rings. Rather, he revolutionized the way NBA players expressed themselves. With every tattoo, cornrow and diamond chain, Iverson brought hip-hop culture to the league.” He is the reason that players like Pj Tucker and Russell Westbrook are able to dress the way they do (Toporek).

    Although I was young when he was in his prime, Allen Iverson is my favorite player of all time. Love him or hate him, his impact on the league is indisputable. He is one of the greatest players to ever play the game and he has definitely made his mark. He changed the game with his realness, He changed the game with his electric crossover, and he changed the game with his sense of culture and fashion.