[jwplayer Yv7CHgmW-z6KDnl0B]
The Philadelphia 76ers were in need of a big star. Somebody who could come in and change the franchise and carry them out of the doldrums a bit. The Sixers did have Jerry Stackhouse, but he was not enough as Philadelphia finished 18-64 in the 1995-96 season.
The Sixers landed the number 1 pick in the 1996 NBA Draft and they landed Georgetown star Allen Iverson. It was an easy pick as Iverson was an absolute beast in college and he then took that talent to the Sixers and he gave the franchise hope.
He averaged 23.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds on his way to winning Rookie of the Year. He did not stop there as he did some incredible things in this league. He made the All-Star game 11 times, he won MVP in 2001 while guiding the Sixers to the NBA Finals, and he was then named to the Hall of Fame. He averaged 27.6 points and 6.1 assists in his Sixers career and his number 3 jersey hangs in the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center.
Iverson’s toughness was really on full display every night as he put his bony body on the line for the city of Philadelphia and he became a franchise icon in their history. He was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2006, traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2008, had a cup of coffee with the Memphis Grizzlies, and he then returned to Philadelphia in 2009 and finished his career with the Sixers. [lawrence-related id=38285,38281,38278]