Allen Iverson (born June 7, 1975 in Hampton, Virginia) is an American basketball player. He is a all-star point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. In high school, Iverson was a spectacular all-around athlete who was regarded not only as one of the top basketball players in the country, but also arguably the country's top high school football quarterback. He opted for basketball, enrolling at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C, which does not play top-level football.

Iverson has also occasionally been involved in incidents with the legal authorities, dating back to his teenage years. One such incident involved a family party where he allegedly threatened his wife with a handgun. He has so far escaped incarceration.

Later known as "A.I." or "The Answer," 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 defenders problems, most notably Michael Jordan, one of the premier players of all time, to stumble awkwardly. At just 6'0" and a skinny 165 pounds (1.83 m, 75 kg), Iverson employs his superior quickness, virtuoso 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 Most Valuable Player Award, and reaching the NBA Finals. In these finals, the 76ers faced a powerful Los Angeles Lakers squad that featured Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. The Lakers had reached the final series undefeated throughout the playoffs, and most of the basketball world expected the Lakers to easily handle the 76ers. But Allen Iverson carried his team to a shocking overtime victory in the series opener at in Los Angeles, and nearly upset the Lakers again in game two.

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 output. 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 lavishly praised then-76ers head coach Larry Brown, often saying that he would not have reached the heights 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 held a press conference in which he said: "We're talking about practice. We're not even talking about the game, the actual game, when it matters. We're talking about practice."

Iverson later reunited with Brown as a member and co-captain of the 2004 USA Olympics basketball team. However, the were only able to win the bronze medal. A gold medal had been expected. Iverson, along with teammate LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, 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 7th on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA players of all time.

Trivia

• Served as a co-captain for Team USA at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, and led the team in scoring (13.8 ppg)
• Feb. 19, 2004, vs. Seattle scored 40 points in a game for the 50th time
• Named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter in 2004 for the 5th year in a row (2000-04)
• 10th fastest player to reach 14,000 points on Jan. 23, 2004
• Averaged 14.3 points and 3.8 assists per game helping USA Basketball Men's Senior National team qualify for the 2004 Olympics
• Named the 2000-01 NBA Most Valuable Player, leading the league in scoring (31.1 ppg) and steals (2.51 spg)
• Most Valuable Player of the 2001 and 2004 All-Star Game
• Three times selected All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2002, 2003)
• Two time first team All-NBA Team (1999, 2001)
• Named the 1996-97 Schick NBA Rookie of the Year, becoming the first 76ers player to ever win the award
• Set the Sixers all-time rookie record with 1,787 points
• Scored 40 points in five straight games in April 1997 to set an NBA rookie record
• Named MVP of the Schick Rookie Game during the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend, posting 19 points and a game-high 9 assists
• 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)

Controversy

Allen Iverson has, at times, been a controversial figure.

Dating back to his teenage years, Iverson has had trouble with the law. One highly publicized incident that jeopardized his college career involved his role in a fight between black and white patrons at a bowling alley. Iverson maintained his innocence, but was convicted. However, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction. Nonetheless, Iverson could never live down the reputation he had gained. Malicious rumors were spread throughout his time at Georgetown University. However, later incidents have even led some supporters to reconsider the rumors. For instance, it was alleged that Iverson had threatened his wife with a handgun, but he was later acquitted of the charges.

Iverson also attempted to release a rap album named "40 Bars" under the alias "Jewelz". The cover of the album featured Iverson holding a large pile of diamonds in his hands. However, Iverson eventually scrapped plans to release it.

His 30th birthday party went awry on June 7, 2005. He was initially denied entry to his own birthday party (which was held at the Garden of Eden Club in Los Angeles) by a bouncer who told him that he couldn't enter because one of President Bush's daughters and the Secret Service were inside the club. (To make the situation look even worse for Iverson, the bouncers did admitted troubled former child star Todd Bridges.) According to the producers of punk'd, Iverson shouted out that Iverson did not vote for her. When he was Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher, he laughed it all off. Then Iverson successfully played the same prank, this time keeping Indiana Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal out from his birthday party. It was aired on MTV on July 3, 2005.

The public image of Iverson drastically improved with his decision to play on the 2004 USA Olympic Team. Many All-Star and headline players who had originally agreed to play for the team backed out. This left the team with Iverson, the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan, and LeBron James (who was still a rookie,) as the only true "name" players on the team. Iverson's show of national pride, sacrifice, and performance aided in his improved public image.