A.I. into The Hall of Fame. ELISE AMENDOLA / AP PHOTO
At 6ft. tall, The Answer – Allen Iverson, was the shortest No.1 draft pick in NBA history back in 1996.
Drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers , the athletic Iverson was a football and basketball star in high school leading both his teams to the state championships. He also gained honors as Player of the Year in both sports.
He was also the Georgetown Hoyas’ all-time leading scorer. Considered to be one of the many Hoya legends.
He had a mixture of blinding speed, great athleticism (with an awesome crossover) and tremendous heart.
A.I. was also a troubled individual. He was always associated with the wrong crowd and letting his life be caught up with the wrong stuff.
His stellar 14-season career can be highlighted by the following accomplishments.
NBA MVP in 2001
11-time All-Star
3-time All NBA First team; 3-time All NBA 2nd team
NBA Rookie of the Year 1997
4-time NBA Scoring champion
3-time NBA steals leader
Back in 2001, he led a less talented 76ers team to the NBA Finals against the Shaq & Kobe led LA Lakers.
Philly would lose 4-1. And that’s the first and last time we saw A.I. play for the NBA title.
The years that followed were turbulent. On and off the court, Iverson had problems (law-breaking, domestic disputes, professional troubles and financial problems). Most of those were self-inflicted by his poor decision-making.
He was later let go by Philadelphia. Not finding success elsewhere, he returned to Philly a few years later. And then suddenly he walked away from the game.
His rise was phenomenal and his downfall tragic. He was special as well as crazy.
Allen Iverson was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield last week.
Almost all of us who watched him in his playing days, were teary-eyed (so was Iverson) during A.I.’s emotional speech.
Allen Iverson at 6ft. and 165 lbs. would always take a hit in his daring drives to the basket. Falling and spilling all over the floor, he would get up, dust himself off and play all out once again.
Just to see Iverson still alive and well to this day, and become a Hall of Famer is a relief and also a great testament to who he really is.
The Answer is a fighter (in basketball and in life) who would never take no for an answer.
To one of my all-time favorite players – Congratulations to Hall of Famer Allen Iverson!- See more at: http://awinaway.com/2016/09/14/the-turbulent-answer/#sthash.jGpCAf4D.LClqSwIT.dpuf