Retired NBA player Kyle Korver was not supposed to have the type of successful career he ended up with. He was the 51st pick in the 2003 NBA draft and was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for cash and a fax machine.
He joined a team led by the legendary Allen Iverson. He was asked to provide shooting next to him to allow Iverson space need to operate. Playing next to a guy like Iverson can put a lot of pressure on a young player that is tough to overcome.
Korver spent 4 1/2 seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to the Utah Jazz. He shot 40.9% from deep during his time with the Sixers and he credited Iverson for helping him along the way.
Korver hopped on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man and the Three” podcast to discuss his playing days with Iverson:
AI was amazing to me. I was a second-round pick, I’m not guaranteed the first year or the second year, and like what you need more than anything is just some confidence, like just believe that you belong on this court. So we had no one else on the team who could shoot at all and like for AI, like if you can’t shoot, like, why would I pass it to you? I’ll just shoot it, right? So he was like, the arm around me every day like ‘shoot the ball, shooters shoot the ball.’ Just like breathing confidence in me. He’s legend, right? Like he’s in another stratosphere, just like his legendary, iconic career and in personality and image and just to have that person with me encouraged me. He was amazing for me. He was one of my favorite teammates.
Korver went on to have a successful 17-year career. He shot 42.9% from deep for his career while being named an All-Star in 2015 with the Atlanta Hawks.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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