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The Charlotte Hornets drafted Kobe Bryant 13th overall in 1996. Who were the players chosen before the Lakers’ great?
Kobe Bryant was the 13th player selected in the 1996 NBA Draft. Who were the 12 players chosen before the Lakers’ great, who died on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash with his daughter GiGi and seven other people?
Nicknamed “The Ukraine Train,” Vitaly Potapenko played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics, the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, as well as MMT Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB.
On Monday, Allen Iverson took his turn in trying to express his feelings on the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant.
As the basketball world continues to struggle with the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others in a tragic helicopter crash, there has been an outpouring of grief from players past and present. On Monday, Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson issued a statement expressing his feelings and offering condolences to the families of all the victims.
Iverson drove home his feelings by emphasizing two words: “devastated” and “heartbroken.” Despite taking different approaches to the game, when they stepped on the court Bryant and Iverson were arguably the two most ferocious competitors of their generation. Their most famous battle came in the 2001 NBA Finals, won by Bryant’s Lakers four games to one despite a valiant effort from Iverson and the Sixers.
Allen Iverson says he’s “heartbroken” and “devastated” over Kobe Bryant
Iverson remembers all the battles vs Kobe on the court in statement via @alleniverson @6abc #KobeBryant #Kobe pic.twitter.com/xFvkc7Moh6
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) January 27, 2020
One other part of Iverson’s statement stands out in a big way: “We are not okay.” Those words are important for two reasons. One, they clearly illustrate the true grief Iverson is feeling, grief shared by countless people in the basketball world, whether they knew Bryant personally or not. And two, they represent Iverson telling his audience that it’s okay to not be okay. In the world of sports, it can sometimes be frowned upon to show the kinds of emotions many are dealing with right now. Iverson demonstrates it’s okay to hurt and it’s okay to express that hurt, to let it out.
Iverson and Bryant are inexorably linked. They were drafted in the same year in what is considered one of the best draft classes of all time. They are the two most iconic players of their era, a bridge between the Jordan days and LeBron James, each inspiring countless people the world over, teaching us different but equally important lessons, and creating a whole new generation of basketball fans.
Bryant acknowledged Iverson’s impact on him in an April 2017 article for The Players’ Tribune, noting that Iverson’s explosive performances showed him he needed to work harder, ultimately adding more fuel to Bryant’s legendary competitive fire.
Now, tragically, Iverson is left to reminisce on the life and career of his “competitor, friend, and brother.”
In a discussion comparing elite scorers of his era to today’s greats, Allen Iverson showed his support for Rockets guard James Harden.
In an appearance on ABC’s pregame show prior to Saturday night’s game in Philadelphia, former 76ers guard Allen Iverson offered significant praise for current Houston Rockets guard James Harden.
The conversation began by comparing greats from Iverson’s peak years, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, to top scorers of the current era.
Iverson, an 11-time All-Star and four-time NBA scoring champion, was asked if he thought criticism of Harden’s playing style was warranted.
The 2001 MVP responded:
No way. No way. That man has so much talent. He’s so great. He deserves all the praise that he gets. There’s always going to be a critic out here. There’s always going to be somebody out there saying he could do something else better than what he’s doing. I think he just keeps his foot to the pedal. … Because I know his teammates love having him in that foxhole and rocking with him night in and night out. So, James, keep doing your thing, man.
(The Harden conversation begins at approximately 5:25.)
Harden is leading the NBA in scoring at 36.1 points per game in the 2019-20 season, identical to his total from a year ago. Prior to Harden’s last two seasons, no NBA player had averaged that many points in over 30 years.
Now a Hall of Famer, Iverson played more than 10 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Sixers organization. His career concluded in the 2009-10 season, which was Harden’s first year in the NBA. Over his 14 seasons, Iverson averaged 26.7 points and 6.2 assists in 41.1 minutes per game.
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The Philadelphia 76ers host the Boston Celtics at home on Thursday night.
The Philadelphia 76ers got back on track on Monday when they knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder at home to snap a frustrating four-game losing skid. It was a much needed and important win for them, but it came at a hefty price as superstar big man Joel Embiid suffered a dislocated finger in the contest which will cause him to miss Thursday’s contest.
Their opponent is the rival Boston Celtics who the Sixers have taken the first two meetings from to begin their season series. They will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back after a loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night so the Sixers will have a rest advantage in this one.
With that said, it’s time for the guide to this big rival showdown:
How to watch Sixers vs. Celtics
Injury Report
Storylines
Sixers prepared for Embiid absence
Not that the Sixers want to have Embiid not play, he is their best player after all, but they are prepared to go to battle without him even if the injury holds him out long term. Coach Brett Brown has thought about it and he is ready and playing it safe just in case.
“To think that I’m not thinking longer, whenever the news comes out, would be disingenuous,” said coach Brett Brown. “You have to think ‘Now what does this mean?’ and because we have sort of rare air in that we actually have practice, you want to take advantage of some things. If you tilted the priorities of weight, it certainly was driven toward trying to beat Boston, but I would be lying if you didn’t do some things in the event that you receive news.”
Sixers want Burke in an Iverson role
Trey Burke has modeled his game after Sixers great and basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and now, the Sixers want to use him in that type of role. Iverson was a small 2 guard next to Eric Snow in his heyday and Burke is a small guard the Sixers plan to use at the 2 next to Ben Simmons along with Josh Richardson. The plan is to allow Burke to be able to create for himself and focus on just scoring.
“So with Trey when he’s playing with Ben, I want him thinking like AI, score,” Brown added. “I bring him off pick-and-rolls, we run kick aheads, we’re playing downhill, and he’s like lightning in a bottle. So the AI example that I use with Trey is mostly out of that environment where he’s at a 2 and he’s just looking to come in and create and score.”
Prediction
This will not be an easy game without Embiid. The Sixers will slide Al Horford back over to the center position and have him run things from there and Philadelphia is expected to have Matisse Thybulle return from injury, but the Celtics are no pushover. They are coming off a tough loss and will be wanting to bounce back and will have motivation. The Sixers could use a big game from Simmons in this one.
Pick: Sixers at home, they’re just a different team in South Philadelphia
Sixers vs. Celtics season series
Game 1 October 23: 107-93 Sixers
Game 2 December 12: 115-109 Sixers
Game 3 January 9:
Game 4 February 1:
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Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown wants to use Trey Burke in an Allen Iverson type of role.
The Philadelphia 76ers have made a few changes to their rotation and the way they run things offensively. Coach Brett Brown has made the change to use Trey Burke as both the backup point guard and also use him as a running mate next to Ben Simmons where he can be just a scorer.
That latter part has Brown thinking of another diminutive dynamic scorer in Sixers history: Allen Iverson.
Iverson, who has a nice relationship with Burke, is obviously one of the greatest players in Sixers history and Burke will never be confused for the Hall of Famer, but they can play similar roles. Iverson was a small 2 guard next to Eric Snow during his days while he was putting up big numbers for Philadelphia and Burke can be a small 2 guard next to Simmons and use his creativity to score for himself and give the team a spark.
“Well most times you’re taking a 5-foot-10 guard and he’s a point guard,” Brown explained. “He’s not on the ball when he’s playing with Ben so when I say it, I say it more in that spirit where you have Eric Snow as the point guard and AI is just screening around scoring.”
Burke can do the same thing on this Sixers team and it can help them move forward offensively. In this example, he hands the ball off to James Ennis III, then runs to the corner and gets a return pass and drills a 3-pointer. It can be that type of play from Burke, like Iverson, who can run around and just focus on scoring.
“So with Trey when he’s playing with Ben, I want him thinking like AI, score,” Brown added. “I bring him off pick-and-rolls, we run kick aheads, we’re playing downhill, and he’s like lightning in a bottle. So the AI example that I use with Trey is mostly out of that environment where he’s at a 2 and he’s just looking to come in and create and score.”
The Sixers clearly believe in Burke as they guaranteed his contract for the rest of the 2019-20 season and they have found a role for him. This type of role is perfect for him as a guy who has a reputation for being an explosive scorer. [lawrence-related id=23036,23013,22990]
We got into the way back machine for Philadelphia 76ers Christmas past.
The Philadelphia 76ers have a big Christmas Day matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday so in preparation for that big matchup, it’s time to reminisce on Sixers Christmas past.
In June of 2001, the Sixers fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in five entertaining games in the NBA Finals. The two teams then met again on Christmas Day of 2001 at Staples Center in Los Angeles for a rematch.
The Sixers were led by a big performance from Allen Iverson who dropped 31 points along with eight rebounds, but it was not enough as the Sixers dropped the rematch 88-82 despite holding Kobe Bryant to just 12 points on 6-for-19 shooting. The Lakers were also missing Shaquille O’Neal, but Los Angeles was able to come away with the win.
Philadelphia was not able to get enough offensive production nor the defensive stops down the stretch in order to come away with a win. Los Angeles received 18 points from Samaki Walker, 12 points from Slava Medvedenko, and 13 off the bench from Brian Shaw.
The current Sixers will use Wednesday’s matchup with the Bucks as a measuring stick for where they are at for the moment. [lawrence-related id=22051,22040,22028]
Philadelphia 76ers rookie Matisse Thybulle joins Allen Iverson in the Sixers record books.
The draft-night trade the Philadelphia 76ers made with the Boston Celtics to move up and select Washington product Matisse Thybulle has continued to look like a smart decision. The move was originally met with a lot of head scratching and a lot of questions as it appeared the Sixers had needs in other areas.
As it turns out, general manager Elton Brand and coach Brett Brown knew what they were doing.
After he scored 20 points, drilled five three-pointers, and had three steals in their win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, Thybulle joined Allen Iverson as the only Sixers rookies to record to five threes and three steals in the same game since 1983.
#Sixers rookies since 1983 with 5 three-pointers and 3 steals in a game:
Allen Iverson
Matisse Thybullhttps://t.co/jodOrf5tNN— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) December 9, 2019
After Sunday’s shooting display, Thybulle is now shooting 59.1% from deep over his last seven games and he’s also averaging 1.9 steals per game. He’s also continuing to earn the trust of Brown as he’s averaging 22.7 minutes per game over that stretch.
It’s becoming more and more clear by the day that the Sixers made the right choice with Thybulle at 20 overall back in June. [lawrence-related id=20973,20951,20941]
Former Philadelphia 76ers guard Lou Williams tells the story of a time he was dared to drink beer.
When a rookie gets brought into the NBA, they go through the customary rookie hazing period. For Lou Williams, he was a 19-year old rookie straight out of high school when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2005 and he received a dare from his veteran teammates.
Being 19, Williams obviously was not old enough to have a drink just yet, so Allen Iverson and Matt Barnes dared the rookie to drink a six-pack of beer for $15,000.
Williams and Barnes told the story on the All The Smoke podcast. Barnes stated:
We made a bet that he had to drink a six-pack. He’s fresh out of high school…that (expletive) killed it!
Williams added:
They said I couldn’t drink a six-pack of beer before we got on the plane for $15,000.
Being only 19, the alcohol hit Williams fairly quickly and the veterans, who added Chris Webber to the plan as well, had to come up with a plan to get him on the bus without the team suspecting something. Barnes said they had a plan as he put it:
He kind of had his arm slumped on AI’s shoulder, and then me and C-Webb was kind of in front. He was still there, but he was—He handled himself well, but he was (expletive) up. You know what I mean? So, we had to kind of camouflage his ass up onto the plane.
The 2005-6 version of the Sixers didn’t do so well on the court finishing with a 38-44 record, but they certainly appears they had some fun off of it.
Williams has since gone on to become one of the best 6th men the NBA has ever seen while Barnes has retired after winning a title in 2017 with the Golden State Warriors. [lawrence-related id=20559,20550,20542]
