June 26, 1996. East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 54th annual NBA Draft took place. In anticipation, with sweat dripping down the forehead of almost every person on the face on the earth, David Stern walked up to the podium and said those faithful words.
"With the 1st pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select..."
"Allen Iverson, from Georgetown University."
And the crowd erupted. His family in joyful tears, Iverson shook hands and kissed his loved ones. He needed that, as his sister was ill and needed a specialist, and he needed to provide for his family.
The skinny 20-year-old, with no dreadlocks back then, was about to start his career in the NBA, and what a career it has been to this point, or still is.
Iverson would come out in his rookie season putting up astronomical numbers that would help him claim the Schick NBA Rookie of the Year award, only one of the many awards he would go on to claim. That cross-over on Michael Jordan couldn't hurt his resume, either.
Yet, his first real success came during the strike-shortened 1999 season. He was selected to the All-NBA first team, collected one ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Bhavik Darji
Allen Iverson: A Prodigy Thrown Into The Waters Of The Unkown
March 20th, 2010 by Bhavik Darji Leave a reply »
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