The point, a innovator and just plain ole' him. Allen Iverson stepped on the scene and kicked the door in when he was drafted by the 76ers as their number 1 pick in the 1996 draft. Iverson didn't just bring his crossover, he brought a attitude that someone his size shouldn't of had in the eyes of many. A.I. came with the Frank Sinatra "I did it my way" mentality and he wasn't backing down from it. He took an historic league and put an hip hop/urban feel to it and to much surprise kids from all backgrounds and races latched on. From his baggy shorts, tattoos and braids he made it okay to be who you wanted to be because he made it signature on a hugeeeeee stage called the NBA.
From having the top selling jersey, shoes and sought after name in advertising he was pulling on the reigns of Jordan and more. Iverson fame prompted kids and some adults to wear tattoo sleeves that portrayed the same tattoos he had on his body. I believe Iversons message was no matter how I dress, look off the court I will dominate and prove I was the right pick once the lights go on. A midst controversy off the court and some in the locker room Iverson has proven why the position of point guard will forever be seen different. In his career Iverson has captured signature accolades. He has 11 all-star game appearances, 1997 NBA rookie of the year, 2001 League MVP, 4 time NBA scoring champion, 2004 Olympian, 3 time all NBA first team, 2 time NBA all-star game MVP, averaged 26.7 points per game which is major for a point guard and took a sub par 76ers team to the finals in 2001 against the Lakers. Whew! how can you forget all of that in his career. That's very big for a little big man.
In October of 2013 Thee Point retired. After last playing in 2010 across seas he decided to hang it up. In March during the halftime of 76ers game the franchise retired Iversons jersey and honored him as one of the greats in team history. You have to close your eyes and think of the history of the 76ers and the players that have played for the organization. Iversons number 3 jersey will hang in the rafters with Mo Cheeks, Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley and Julius "Dr. J" Irving, what better company to have than those great players.
What better way to display such a great player than through film. Just yesterday as I scrolled through my Instagram feed I ran across a posting by Iverson and I clicked the like button. I decided to browse through his photos and saw a poster for a documentary on the point guard and wondered if it was an old posting and to my surprise it wasn't. On April 27th the life of one of the best guards in NBA history will be placed in a documentary movie entitled Iverson. It gets no sweeter than that, a great way to close out the chapter of NBA player and to allow the world to see his life in it's entirety and not what the press wanted us to see for their own gratification. So just as the Spartans idolized King Leonidas, I say HAIL THE ANSWER MR. ALLEN IVERSON to his career and what he did to change the outlook of sports all over.
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