Allen Iverson Named to Basketball Hall of Fame

Iverson, the six-foot guard who led the Sixers to the 2001 NBA Finals, will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Allen Iverson is headed to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

A six-foot guard who led the Sixers to their greatest season since the early 1980s, Iverson played 12 seasons with the Sixers. He averaged 27.6 points per game in a Sixers uniform, second only to Wilt Chamberlain on the team’s career list. He is in the top-5 in a number of other categories, too: Points, three-pointers made, steals, assists and more. And, yes, he was just six-feet tall.

But it was the Sixers’ run to the 2001 NBA Finals that made Iverson a Philadelphia legend. Iverson was battered throughout the playoffs by bigger players, and the Sixers trailed in their first three series. But they came back to win all of them and advance to the NBA Finals. The Sixers’ Game 1 upset was one of the greatest games in Philadelphia sports history — with Allen Iverson scoring 48 points, including seven in a row in overtime, to upset the Lakers. The Sixers lost the next four and the run ended, but Iverson’s place in Philly sports history was secure.

He also gave one of the most memorable press conferences in sports history, repeating “We talking about practice” over and over and over until it became a never-forgotten catchphrase. And isn’t that amazing? Iverson had all this success in his career despite his tendency to blow off practice.

The Basketball Hall of Fame wrote this about Iverson in its induction announcement:

An 11-time NBA All-Star (2000-06, 2008, 2009), Iverson played 14 NBA seasons averaging 26.7 points and 6.2 assists per game. A three-time All-NBA First Team selection (1999, 2001, 2005), he led the league in scoring average four times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2005), steals per game three times (2001-03) and minutes per game seven times (1999, 2001-04, 2006-08). Iverson was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1997 and NBA MVP in 2001. The Hampton, Virginia native attended Georgetown University (1994-1996) where he set the school record for career scoring average and earned consensus First Team All-America honors (1996).

Inductions will be on September 9th. Shaquille O’Neal, Sheryl Swoopes and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, among others, will also go into the Hall this year.

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