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Allen Iverson (June 7, 1975, Hampton, VirginiaAllen Iverson is an American professional basketball player. He is an All-Star point guardshooting guard for the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers franchise. At the relatively young age of 30, he is already considered by many to be among the greatest players in recent memory. His nickname is

Allen Iverson was born in Newport News, Virginia (like other star athletes Michael Vick and Aaron Brooks). While attending Bethel High School in Hampton, Iverson was a spectacular all-around athlete who was regarded as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country as well as excelling in basketball. As quarterback he lead his team to the Virgina State Championship. After high school Iverson concentrated on basketball, receiving a scholarship to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he played for legendary college coach John Thompson.

Allen Iverson was originally selected with the first pick (1 overall) in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and has led the team in scoring ever since. As a rookie he quickly gained national popularity for a famous left-to-right crossover dribble which caused some defenders, most notably Michael Jordan, to stumble. At just 6'0" and a skinny 165 pounds, Iverson employs his superior quickness, great ball handling ability, and massive heart to single-handedly carry his team on his back. He had his best season in 2001, leading the NBA in scoring, winning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, and reaching the NBA Finals. Allen Iverson carried his team to a shocking overtime victory in the series opener in Los Angeles, and nearly upset the Lakers again in Game Two. The Lakers went on to win the series in five games.

The NBA changed several rules during the off-season, and allowed zone defenses. These new rules have since limited Iverson's effectiveness somewhat, but he was still able to lead the NBA in steals and minutes played while maintaining his high scoring average. In fact, Iverson has led the NBA in scoring four times 1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, and 2004-05, and, in the process, has tied George Gervin for the third-most scoring titles. He only trails Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan. On February 12, 2005, Iverson scored a career-high 60 points against the Orlando Magic. He had praised then-76ers head coach Larry Brown, often saying that he would not have reached the s that he has in the sport without Brown's guidance. He had a love-hate relationship with Brown, however. After the 76ers were defeated in the first round of the 2002 NBA playoffs, Brown criticized Iverson for missing team practices. Iverson later reunited with Brown as a member and co-captain of the 2004 Summer Olympics Men's Team United States. However, they were only able to win the bronze medal. Iverson, along with teammate LeBron James, were benched during a game, when they were late to a practice session. The United States team had a dismal start against Germany who had failed to qualify for the Olympic competition. However Iverson kept the game from going into overtime with a miraculous half-court shot in the closing seconds. In 2003, Allen Iverson was ranked 53rd on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA players of all time.

Allen Iverson has been a controversial figure, dating back to his teenage years, including having trouble with the law.

A highly publicized incident that almost jeopardized his college career involved in a fight between black and white people in a bowling alley. On February 14, 1993, Iverson and several of his friends were involved in a fight with a group of white teenagers. During the fight, Iverson was accused of attacking a woman, and hitting her in the head with a chair. He was arrested, along with three of his friends. Iverson was convicted of three felony charges and received a sentence of 15 years in prison. After serving just five months, Iverson received a pardon from the governor of Virginia.

Iverson was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and for possession of marijuana. He pleaded no contest and was sentence to community service.

Iverson allegedy threw his wife Tawanna out of the mansion during a fight. The following night, an enraged Iverson later went looking for his wife at his cousin's apartment. According to the police report, Iverson repeatedly threated to kill his cousin Charles Jones and Jones's roommate while showing them a semiautomatic gun. Iverson was arrested and charged with 14 different counts. All charges were ultimately dropped after the witnesses refused to testify.

. The cover of the album featured Iverson holding a large pile of diamonds in his hands. However, Iverson eventually stopped his plans to continue his musical career. Off the court Allen Iverson raps when he can. He likes the term "Gangster".

Iverson's 30th birthday created a lot of havoc against Ashton Kutcher on June 7, 2005. Iverson was initially denied entry to his own birthday party held at the Garden of Eden Club in Los Angeles by a bouncer who told him that he couldn't enter because one of George W. Bush's daughters and the Secret Service were inside the club. According to some people, Iverson reacted by shouting, "I didn't vote for him!" When he was by Kutcher, Iverson laughed it off, then he successfully played the same prank on another guest, this time keeping Jermaine O'Neal out from his birthday party.

In 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern banned what critics and supporters call "hip-hop culture"-related attire such as Mitchell Ness throwback jerseys, jeans, hats, t-shirts, large items of jewelry, and Timberland boots. Punishment for violations would include fines and possible suspensions for repeat violations. Iverson countered NBA commissioner David Stern's dress code by saying "would not change a person's character regardless of what type of clothing they wore, and that associating hip-hop s of dress with violent crime, drugs, or a bad image is racist." Iverson also said that, "the advertising of many prominent NBA sponsors, such as Nike, Reebok, Puma and Adidas were heavily influenced by hip-hop culture."

There are many different opinions on Allen Iverson the basketball player. While he scores lots of points, he also shoots a below average field goal percentage. Iverson is sometimes criticized as being a ball hog, especially early in his career. Now his career field goal percentage is 41.9. This low field goal percentage can be accounted for by the lack of high quality team mates; Iverson is often double and triple-teamed because opponents game plan for stopping Iverson and not his team mates. He improved his shot selection, and is a better, and more alert passer than he was earlier in his career. He is now one of the best mid-range jump shooters in the league, where he often pulls up at 15 feet from the basket near the top of the key. When he drives to the basket, he is extremely good at laying the ball up high off the glass in order to avoid getting blocked. Iverson is currently enjoying the best season of his career. His field goal percentage is over 46%, the highest it has been in years, and he is neck-and-neck with Kobe Bryant for the leading scorer in the NBA, averaging over 33 points per game and over 7 assists a game 3rd in the NBA this season.

He has also emerged as one of the United States' most important members of the Olympic basketball team. In the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Iverson was one of the few bright spots in what was otherwise a disappointing showing. While many other players such as Carmelo Anthony and Tim Duncan either complained about playing time or played poorly, he had a fabulous Olympics, led the team in scoring, and served as the co-captain of the team. This was particularly ironic considering he almost wasn't even invited to participate. While others, such as Tim Duncan, have quickly declined the invitation to play in the 2006 Olympics, he has made it clearly known that he considers it an honor to play for his country, and will be there for any and all international competition.

Also worth noting is that Iverson rarely lays the ball up using his left hand. He often resorts to spinning his entire around to lay the ball up with his right hand on the left side of the basket. Despite this deficiency, defenders are unable to stop this move. Iverson is also very good at using his elbows to create space while turning the corner around a defender as he drives to the basket. Iverson has long arms, so this creates a lot of space. Iverson is also known for being one of the best stealers in the game, averaging two and a half steals per game.

Iverson served as a co-captain for Team USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and led the team in scoring (13.8 ppg).He averaged 14.3 points and 3.8 assists per game helping USA Basketball Men's Senior National team qualify for the 2004 Olympics.He was named the 2000-01 NBA Most Valuable Player, leading the league in scoring (31.1 ppg) and steals (2.51 spg).He received the sole first place vote that did not go to Shaquille O'Neal for the 1999-2000 NBA Most Valuable Player (the vote came from Fred Hickman.)Iverson was named the 1996-97 Schick NBA Rookie of the Year, becoming the first 76ers player to ever win the award.He was named MVP (Most Valuble Player) of the Schick Rookie Game during the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend, posting 19 points and a game-high 9 assists.Iverson was named NBA Rookie of the Month for November, 1997, leading all rookies in scoring (21.8 ppg), assists (6.4 apg) and steals (2.67 spg).NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan was Iverson's college basketball teammate at Georgetown, and is considered one of Iverson's close friends.