Top 50 NBA players from last 50 years: Allen Iverson ranks No. 30
Editor's Note: As part of a new series for his podcast, "What’s Wright with Nick Wright," FOX Sports commentator Nick Wright is ranking the 50 best NBA players of the last 50 years. The countdown continues today with player No. 30, Allen Iverson.
Allen Iverson’s career highlights:
- 2001 MVP
- 11-time All-Star
- Three-time first-team All-NBA, three-time second team, one-time third team
- 1997 Rookie of the Year
- Four-time scoring champion
- Three-time steals champion
It feels like a footnote now, but Allen Iverson was a daring draft choice by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996. A guard hadn’t gone first since Magic Johnson nearly two decades earlier. For a 30-year stretch, Iverson was the only top pick under 6-foot-6.
In fact, he’s the smallest and lightest No. 1 selection to ever play in the NBA. Confronted with the predictable questions for a player generously listed at 6-foot, 165 pounds, The Answer answered with one of the best pound-for-pound careers in basketball history.
"He’s one of the most iconic and legendary players ever," Wright said.
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Allen Iverson won the 2001 MVP, is a four-time scoring champion, and had three top-five MVP finishes.
And one of the fastest, and one of the toughest, and one of the stubbornest.
Consider, over the last 50 years, only Michael Jordan attempted more shots per game. Only Shaquille O’Neal attempted more free throws per game. Iverson’s usage rate is fourth all time behind Jordan, Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant.
Iverson, despite not sharing the physical gifts of the uncompromising bunch, maximized his ability just the same. In Year 1, that included crossing over Jordan and scoring 40 in five straight games to break Wilt Chamberlain’s rookie record. A.I. outplayed his historic draft class with averages of 23.5 points and 7.5 assists to win Rookie of the Year.
Two years later, he switched positions to shooting guard under Larry Brown, won the first of four scoring titles, and led the Sixers to their first playoff appearance in eight years. Two years later, Iverson won league MVP and carried Philly to the Finals amid a torrid playoff run.
It would prove to be the climax of his inimitable and inefficient playing career.
After avenging previous postseason losses to the Pacers, Iverson embarked on an epic duel with the Raptors’ Vince Carter. The two traded 50-point outbursts, including two from Iverson, to set up a Game 7. Neither shot well in the rubber match, but A.I. dished out a career-high 16 assists and Carter missed a jumper at the buzzer as the Sixers prevailed by one point. Philly also needed seven games to beat the Bucks in the conference finals, which saw Iverson score 90 points over the final two contests.
His next game was his magnum opus. Facing a heavily favored Lakers squad that was unbeaten in the playoffs, Iverson erupted for 48 points to rally the Sixers to an improbable overtime win on the road. The defending champions restored order by taking the next four, but not without a fight from A.I. He averaged 35.6 points while playing in all but six minutes of the series, with his step over Tyronn Lue spawning an indelible image in NBA lore.
"They had no business beating them even that one game," Wright said. "That was apex Shaq. Kobe was not apex Kobe, but he was absolutely amazing."
Iverson continued to amaze, as well, but little playoff glory ensued. Bereft of another All-Star, his undermanned Sixers didn’t make it out of the second round again. For his career, A.I. was eliminated by three Finals winners and two additional conference champs in eight postseason appearances.
In 2005, he became just the second player to eclipse 33 points and seven assists for a season. After earning seven top-10 MVP finishes over a decade in Philly, Iverson was traded to the Nuggets and maintained prime production for two more seasons before briefly bouncing around the league and retiring at age 34.
"He was not able to readily adjust to a lesser role, which kind of deprived him of a final act of his career. But he got the absolute most out of his talent," Wright said. "A lot of people compare him to Russell Westbrook because a lot of volume, not a lot of efficiency. What I don’t think people understand with A.I. is, those teams he was on, certainly early in his career, demanded that type of volume."
Iverson also made a bigger dent in the record books.
He ranks No. 7 all time in points per game (26.7) and fourth over the last 50 years, behind Jordan, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Only Jordan tops Iverson (29.7) in the playoffs, where the latter dropped 40 on 10 occasions. Nobody from the last half-century approaches A.I. in minutes per game in the regular season (41.1) or postseason (45.1). He’s also the only player with career averages, in or out of the playoffs, exceeding 25 points, six assists and two steals.
"The guy was an indefatigable warrior," Wright said. "He’s one of the most important players in modern NBA history."
There’s no question.