Tag: Allen Iverson

Jalen Rose has Sixers legend Allen Iverson as top 5 ball-handler

Jalen Rose lists Philadelphia 76ers legend, Allen Iverson, as a top 5 ball-handler in the history of the game.

When it comes to ball-handling in the NBA, there are certain qualities one must have in order to be elite. They must have the speed and the quickness to shake defenders to get an open look at the basket.

They are maestros with the basketball manipulating their defenders into thinking they’re going one way before quickly snatching the ball back into a nasty crossover to the basket and leaving their defenders in the dust.

Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson is one of those maestros. He has taken many ankles in his NBA career, leaving defenders wondering what happened. The most famous crossover of Iverson’s career was the one he put on Michael Jordan when he began his career.

Former NBA star Jalen Rose, now with ESPN, was asked to put together his list of the top five ball-handlers, and Iverson appeared on the list at No. 4. He is joined by Isiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry and Jamal Crawford. Rose had a tough time putting together the list due to the immense talent in the history of the game.

Iverson has certainly made a huge impact on not only the Sixers but the NBA as a whole. The fact that he can still be brought up in debates such as this one is a testament to the work he put in on the floor during his long and successful career.

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Two Sixers legends named to Philadelphia sports Mount Rushmore

Two Philadelphia 76ers legends have been named to the Philadelphia sports Mount Rushmore.

To be on a city’s Mount Rushmore of sports, one has to be more than exceptional in the game. They have to be terrific in every sense of the word and be able to put the team above themselves more often than not.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a number of candidates to be on the Philadelphia sports Mount Rushmore. Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley and plenty of others have stepped up to the plate and done a lot for the city.

SportingNews put together its Mount Rushmore for Philadelphia and two Sixers legends made up for half of the mountain:

Sixers could bring back black Allen Iverson uniforms in near future

The Philadelphia 76ers may be bringing back the Allen Iverson dazzle uniforms in the near future.

The fan base of the Philadelphia 76ers has been clamoring for a specific uniform to return to their team for a long time. Those uniforms would be the black dazzle uniforms worn during the heyday of Allen Iverson in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Sixers did bring a black jersey into the equation during the 2020-21 season when they wore the boathouse row jerseys, but they were a bit of a letdown. There was so much hype about possibly bringing back the dazzle jerseys and when the boathouse row ones were revealed, it was almost like one could hear air being let out of a balloon.

Former president of business operations, Chris Heck, was never a big fan of those jerseys as he believed they did not have anything to do with the Sixers. He recently resigned from his position and now, the idea is that the dazzle uniforms could return to Philadelphia’s selection.

Per The Philadelphia Inquirer:

They won’t be worn next season to coincide with the 25th anniversary as the Sixers are not one of the teams authorized by the league to wear a throwback — or “classic” — uniform in 2022-23. But it’s safe to assume that the black uniforms are in the conversation to be worn as alternates the next time the Sixers are allowed to do so.

In a November 2020 interview with Uni-Watch, Heck said he “absolutely despised” the Iverson-era black jerseys, called it “blasphemy” to introduce silver and gold into the team’s logo, and said, “come hell or high water, we’re not going back to that uniform.” The Boathouse Row threads, Heck said, represented “New Philadelphia.

Fans have made their own photoshops over the years of Joel Embiid and other stars in the Iverson dazzle jerseys, but if they get their way, they won’t have to photoshop anymore. It will be an actuality that they can with their own eyes.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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On this day: Sixers select Allen Iverson No. 1 in 1996 NBA draft

On this day in 1996, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Allen Iverson with the No. 1 overall pick.

On June 26, 1996, the Philadelphia 76ers held the No. 1 pick in a pretty stacked draft class that included Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, Jermaine O’Neal and Allen Iverson.

With that No. 1 pick, the Sixers chose the 6-foot, scrawny guard out of Georgetown. What Iverson brought to the floor was scintillating at times; he put the Sixers back on the NBA map.

Iverson won Rookie of the Year in the 1996-97 season while averaging 23.5 points and 7.5 assists with 4.1 rebounds. He went on to lead the league in scoring four times while a member of the Sixers. He won the MVP honor in 2001 when he averaged 31.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 steals and led the Sixers to the NBA Finals.

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Iverson made a big impact on the league on his way to a Hall of Fame career with the Sixers and the Denver Nuggets, with whom he teamed with Carmelo Anthony. His No. 3 jersey hangs in the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Ranking the top 5 draft picks made in Philadelphia 76ers history

It is now time to rank the top 5 draft picks made in the long history of the Philadelphia 76ers.

With the 2022 NBA draft now right around the corner, now is the time to look back at the draft history of the Philadelphia 76ers as they prepare to make a selection in 2022.

Recently, Sixers Wire ranked the top 5 worst draft picks made in the history of the franchise. The Sixers have had some very talented players come through the City of Brotherly Love, but they have also made some draft mistakes–just as every franchise has done before.

In this edition, Sixers Wire is going to rank the top 5 draft picks ever made in Sixers history. The list will be based on what that player did specifically in a Philadelphia uniform and the impact he had on the franchise.

With that being said, let’s get into the list:

On this day in Sixers history: Allen Iverson steps over Tyronn Lue in Game 1

On this day in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson stepped over Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson is one of the legendary players in NBA history. He always threw the Sixers on his back when the time called for it, and in his first NBA Finals game on June 6, 2001, he did so in a huge way.

After the Sixers knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, they took a trip to Los Angeles to take on the vaunted Lakers, who went undefeated on the Western side of the bracket. Given the Lakers were led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Sixers were heavy underdogs.

Iverson did not back down. He dropped 48 points with six assists with five rebounds and five steals in the opener. He then had an iconic highlight play in overtime when he crossed over Tyronn Lue and knocked down the shot before stepping over Lue as Philadelphia stole Game 1, 107-101, on the road.

Of course, the Lakers won the series, 4-1, after they realized Iverson and the Sixers wouldn’t back down. But this play by Iverson was impressive, and it goes down as one of the best plays in the history of the NBA Finals.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Anthony Edwards has Sixers legend Allen Iverson in all-time starting lineup

Anthony Edwards has Philadelphia 76ers legend, Allen Iverson, in his all-time starting lineup.

Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson obviously made a huge impact on the league during his 14 seasons in the NBA and it has been long-lasting even in today’s era.

Iverson, a 4-time scoring champ and 2001 MVP, dazzled on the offensive end of the floor on a nightly basis. He averaged 27.6 points per game during his time with the Sixers and he led the league in scoring four times all while throwing the team on his back every night and leading them to wins.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, one of the game’s bright stars of today’s game, was asked to put together his all-time starting lineup and he had Iverson in his lineup. He also has himself on the team alongside LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Shaquille O’Neal.

Even with Iverson not playing since 2010, the Sixers legend still has an impact on the younger stars in the game and he has their respect. It’s clear that Edwards has done his homework on some of the best players in NBA history.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Sixers legend Allen Iverson offers words of support for Ben Simmons

Allen Iverson is right, building equity with his teammates instead of vacationing away from them should help foster what already appears to be a bit of a rocky relationship.

Ben Simmons may be employed by the Brooklyn Nets, but he still has at least one good relationship rooted in Philadelphia’s basketball culture.

Sixers legend Allen Iverson offered some words of support for the now-Net this week at an event in Memphis, Tennessee.

Iverson said Wednesday:

I’m still rooting for him, you know. Obviously he’s not with [the Sixers] anymore. But, I’m thinking about him as a person. You know what I mean? I hope he comes out well from this whole thing, especially if we’re talking about mental health [concerns]. We don’t know what’s going on in his mind. And we don’t know about the people that’s surrounding him and feeding him the information that he needs to get past this whole thing that we definitely wish, if you care anything about him, that it passes. You know what I mean?

Simmons originally sat out to force a trade from the Sixers. Upon being traded, Simmons expressed happiness with a fresh start and about being a Net. Since joining Brooklyn, Simmons dealt with back discomfort as he ramped up his activity level in anticipation of a return to play. But the natural volatility of back discomfort, coupled with the frequently-mentioned mental health hurdles through which Simmons struggled, kept him off the court for the entire season.

Iverson added:

“You just hope that the foundation that he has around him is positive enough and smart enough to handle this thing the best way that they can,” Iverson said. “But it’s gonna be ugly. I think it’s important for him to stay and mesh with [his Nets teammates] in the offseason and work out with them; get a relationship with those guys and figure out a way to turn this negative thing into a positive. But it’s gonna be [difficult].”

Iverson is right, building equity with his teammates instead of vacationing away from them should help foster what already appears to be a bit of a rocky relationship. Simmons was due to make his season debut in Game 4 of the Nets’ first-round series with the Celtics until he unexpectedly backed out of playing the game due to a lapse with the back.

According to Shams Charania, the organization was quite disappointed in that sudden change. Simmons’ teammates and coaches were frustrated by his lack of determination in getting on the court and unwillingness to even be in uniform for the game instead of donning a gaudy street-clothes outfit.

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The new kids in town: DeVonta Smith & Tyrese Maxey are making a huge impact in Philadelphia

The new kids in town: DeVonta Smith & Tyrese Maxey are making a huge impact in Philadelphia

DeVonta Smith met all the expectations when the Eagles drafted him in the 2021 NFL draft— and so has Philadelphia Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey.

The young stars have carved names out for themselves in two different professional sports, but they’re accomplishing feats with the grit and hard work that Philadelphia fans covet. 

Maxey, a 2020 first-round pick, scored a career-playoff-high 38 points against the Raptors in Game 1 of the Sixers’ Eastern Conference first-round series.

Smith finished his rookie season with 916 yards (just 84 short of 1,000 yards), 64 receptions, five touchdowns, and 14.3 yards per catch.

Maxey has ascended as one of the Sixers’ key pieces in their 2022 playoffs run so far, and his 12.6 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.6 rebounds in 121 regular-season games have been a bright spot after the Ben Simmons disaster. 

Smith should continue to improve alongside Jalen Hurts and could give the Eagles their first 1,000-yard receiver since Jeremy Maclin (1,318) in 2014.

 

Both Smith and Maxey are providing what the city of Philadelphia needs urgently needs, two young, reserved, but gritty, emerging sports stars. 

Rockets rookie Jalen Green extends historic 30-point streak to five games

Rockets rookie Jalen Green has now joined Allen Iverson (1997) as the only rookies in modern NBA history to score 30 or more points in five straight games.

Rockets rookie Jalen Green, drafted at No. 2 overall in the 2021 first round, has now joined Allen Iverson (1997) as the only NBA rookies in more than 40 years to score 30-plus points in five straight games.

Green kept his historic streak going with 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting (52.2%) on Tuesday in Brooklyn, including 4-of-10 on 3-pointers (40.0%). The 20-year-old also grabbed 6 rebounds in his 41 minutes.

Iverson’s streak ended at six games, and Green will have opportunities to tie and potentially break that mark when Houston finishes its 2021-22 season on Friday in Toronto and Sunday at home versus Atlanta.

The Rockets still lost Tuesday’s game to the Nets, 118-105 (box score), thanks to a 42-point outburst by Kyrie Irving (8-of-16 on 3-pointers, 50.0%). But for Green and backcourt mate Kevin Porter Jr. (36 points), it was a useful learning experience at Barclays Center versus Brooklyn’s duo of future Hall of Famers in Irving and Kevin Durant.

Porter’s point total was a season high in scoring.

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