The Allen Iverson Locker Room
BACKGROUND:
After two outstanding seasons at Georgetown, Allen Iverson was the first player picked in the 1996 NBA Draft and had a brilliant rookie season with the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 23.5 ppg to rank sixth in the league in scoring. He was chosen the Schick Rookie of the Year. Iverson, who was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press as a sophomore, started 66 of 67 career games and led Georgetown in scoring both of his two seasons. He was also selected as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. As a sophomore, Iverson led the Hoyas in scoring (25.0 ppg), assists (4.7 apg) and steals (3.35 spg). As a freshman Iverson was named the Big East Rookie of the Year after averaging a team-leading 20.4 points and 4.5 assists. Iverson lived up to expectations in his first NBA season, leading the Sixers with 23.5 points, 7.5 assists and 2.07 steals per game, ranking seventh in the NBA in steals. He was twice named Rookie of the Month and finished the season in a blaze, scoring 40 points or more in five consecutive games and hitting a career-high 50 on April 12. He averaged 39.0 ppg in his final eight games.
1996-97 NOTES
Iverson quickly established himself as a premier NBA backcourtman, winning Rookie of the Month honors in November and going on from there to a brilliant season in which he was named Rookie of the Month again in April and Schick Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-Rookie First Team following the season. Iverson led the Sixers with 23.5 points (sixth in the NBA), 7.5 assists (11th) and 2.07 steals (seventh) in 40.1 minutes (eighth) per game, leading all NBA rookies in each category. Though he shot just .416 from the field, his 155 three-pointers easily led the team and he connected on .341 from behind the arc. Iverson finished strongly, averaging 39.0 ppg in his final eight games, including five in a row in which he scored 40 or more--the only rookie in NBA history to do so. Included in that burst was a career-high 50-point outing in a 125-118 loss at Cleveland on April 12, when he became the second-youngest player (21 years, 310 days) in NBA history to reach the 50-point plateau. Rick Barry was 21 years, 261 days old when he scored 57 for San Francisco on Dec. 14, 1965. Iverson scored in double figures in 73 of the 76 games in which he played, getting 30 or more points 20 times. He also reached double figures in assists 18 times, including a career-high 15 (with 32 points) in a 119-113 loss to Boston on April 18. He averaged 4.1 rebounds, a high number for a point guard, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds (with 32 points and seven assists) in a 115-113 loss at Charlotte on April 5. Iverson was the Most Valuable Player of the Schick Rookie Game at All-Star Weekend, scoring 19 points and handing out nine assists in 26 minutes. He also was invited to compete in the Nestle Crunch Slam Dunk but withdrew due to injury.
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