Allen Iverson played for the Hoyas men's basketball team from 1994-1996. Iverson was the number one overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft and is the only Hoya guard to reach the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Georgetown (1994-96)
Iverson had an excellent high school career and was named Virginia's player of the year as a junior1. However, a fight at a bowling alley led to a prison sentence for Iverson despite the fact that Iverson left soon after the fight started; the sentence was commuted by Gov. Douglas Wilder and overturned due to insufficient evidence2. After meeting with Iverson and his mother Ann, Coach John Thompson Jr. decided to sign Iverson3. As a freshman, Iverson quickly became an elite scorer for the Hoyas, averaging over 20 points per game4, and led the Hoyas to a Sweet 16 appearance5.
Iverson's sophomore year was even better, as he averaged 25 points per game6. His field goal and three-point percentages both improved dramatically7. Thompson also recalled that Iverson learned his famous crossover move from Dean Berry, a walk-on player, and began to use it as a sophomore8. In February 1996, Iverson scored 26 points in a 77-65 win over #3 UConn9. The Hoyas lost by one point in a rematch in the Big East championship game10. The Hoyas reached the Elite Eight, where they lost to UMass 86-62 in Iverson's final game as a Hoya11.
NBA career
The Philadelphia 76ers selected Iverson with the first pick in the 1996 draft12. He was the first player to leave Georgetown early for the NBA Draft, a decision Thompson recognized as "an inevitable sign of the times". Iverson achieved instant success with the team, averaging 23.5 points per game and winning Rookie of the Year in 1996-9713. Iverson's first playoff appearance with Philadelphia came in his third season, with his 76ers knocking out the Orlando Magic in the first round before the Indiana Pacers swept them in the Eastern Conference Semifinals14.
The pinnacle of Iverson's NBA career came in the 2000-01 season, when he was named MVP and reached the NBA Finals with fellow Hoya Dikembe Mutombo15. Facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers, Iverson scored 48 points in a Game 1 win best remembered for the moment he stepped over Tyronn Lue16. The Lakers rebounded to win the next four games, depriving Iverson and Mutombo of a chance to win their first NBA championship17.
Iverson continued to cement his reputation as an elite player, though playoff success would elude him after the 2001 Finals. The 76ers were eliminated in the first round of the 2002 playoffs18, an underwhelming follow-up to their Finals run.
In December 2006, the 76ers traded Iverson to the Denver Nuggets19, where he teamed up with former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony. Iverson continued to play well in Denver, averaging nearly 26 points per game, but the Nuggets lost in the first round in both 2007 and 200820. Iverson spent the 2008-09 season with the Detroit Pistons21. After a three-game stint with the Memphis Grizzlies, Iverson returned to Philadelphia for the remainder of the 2009-10 season22. He made his final All-Star appearance that year, wrapping up a streak of 11 straight appearances from 2000-201023.
Iverson officially retired from the NBA in October 201324. The 76ers retired his number the following year25 and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 201626.
- 1Thompson, John with Jesse Washington. "I Came As A Shadow." Holt Paperbacks, 2022, p. 251.
- 2Thompson, John with Jesse Washington. "I Came As A Shadow." Holt Paperbacks, 2022, p. 250, 258.
- 3Thompson, John with Jesse Washington. "I Came As A Shadow." Holt Paperbacks, 2022, p. 251-252.
- 4Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 5NCAA.com, Browse every NCAA bracket since 1939 with stats and records. https://www.ncaa.com/basketball-men/d1/every-ncaa-bracket-1939-today-tournament-stats-records.
- 6Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 7Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 8Thompson, John with Jesse Washington. "I Came As A Shadow." Holt Paperbacks, 2022, p. 262.
- 9Thompson, John with Jesse Washington. "I Came As A Shadow." Holt Paperbacks, 2022, p. 263.
- 10Thompson, John with Jesse Washington. "I Came As A Shadow." Holt Paperbacks, 2022, p. 265.
- 11Thompson, John with Jesse Washington. "I Came As A Shadow." Holt Paperbacks, 2022, p. 267.
- 12Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 13Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 14Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 15Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 16Dodson, Aaron. "On this day in NBA Finals history: Allen Iverson steps over Tyronn Lue." Andscape. 6 June 2017.
- 17Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 18Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 19Spears, Marc J. "Allen Iverson traded to the Denver Nuggets from Philadelphia 76ers." The Denver Post. 19 December 2006.
- 20Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 21Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 22Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 23Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
- 24Windhorst, Brian. "Allen Iverson officially retires." ESPN. 30 October 2013.
- 25Golliver, Ben. "Sixers honor Allen Iverson with jersey retirement." Sports Illustrated. 1 March 2014.
- 26Basketball-Reference, Allen Iverson. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/iversal01.html.
