Hip Hop CSS Live : Allen Iverson Retires...pound for pound the Greatest Player ever!

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Allen Iverson Retires...pound for pound the Greatest Player ever!

It is official one of the NBA's greatest players and scorers ever has retired. Allen Iverson told Stephen A. Smith of ESPN today that he is retiring from the NBA. Forget the unfair ending he had to go through but lets remember this legendary career. He was 6 feet tall but was a beast on the court . Iverson will probably go down as one of the 25 greatest players ever. He accomplished so many great things in the NBA, things that guys like Carmelo and LeBron dream about. It all started in the summer of 1996 when the Philadelphia Sixers drafted the 6 foot Iverson from Georgetown University with the first overall pick.

Iverson's accomplishments.

-1996 Rookie of the year.
- An amazing 24,020 career points, 5,522 career points and 1965 steals.
- Amazing Career averages of 27.1 ppg(5th all-time) and 6.2 apg along with 2.2 spg.
- 30 ppg in the playoffs for his career (2nd all-time next to Michael Jordan).
- 1996 Rookie of the year.
- Three time NBA steals leader.
- Four time NBA scoring champion!.
- 10 time NBA All-star
- Two time NBA All-star game MVP
- 2001 lead one of the least talented teams in league history to the Finals.
- 2001 NBA MVP.

Oh and all of that at barely 6 feet tall and about 170 lbs. All of that and you want to remember an unfair ending? Truth is in five years when AI goes to the Hall Of Fame we are going to remember the career. The days in Philly when this guy would amaze the world by dropping 50 than running around the Wachovia Center with his hand to his ear as the crowd chants his name.

People are going to remember how Allen Iverson changed the game forever and how he even changed some of the world. He was arguably the most hated but was also the most loved athlete in the world. He inspired kids all over the world. He inspired today's NBA superstars and the future superstars to come. Before Iverson not many players had cornrows and tattoos and not many people dressed in baggy clothes before games. AI started that. He started the hip-hop culture in the NBA whether they liked it or not.

He showed people in the world that anything is possible no matter what size you are or where you are from. Growing up in the hard streets of Hampton, Iverson was a star on the football field and on the basketball court and was clearly a super freak athlete. Maybe quicker than any player that has ever played in the NBA Iverson took games over and dropped 40 points at will.

Nobody will forget the night he dropped 48 points on the Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals and nobody will forget the night he dropped a career high 60 on the Magic in 2005. Iverson averaged 30 ppg over four times in his career and he was always top 10 in scoring before he was traded to Detroit. Iverson played harder than any player I have ever seen. He played through all kinds of injuries and is arguably one of the toughest players ever. He had so many memorable moments in his legendary career .You could probably write a book about the memorable games and moments Allen Iverson had in the NBA.