Allen Iverson - the magical rookie

Allen Iverson's name is one of the synonyms of attractive and successful basketball. Some will argue that Al doesn't have a single NBA title. And they will have their right. But no one can change the fact that Iverson is one of the best basketball players in the league when he shines on the floor. 2001 NBA MVP, 11-time All-Star, two-time Most Valuable Player. In 7 of his seasons in the National Basketball Association, Allen was selected to one of the three perfect teams. Even more impressive is that this happens without counting his rookie season -1996/97.

Between 1994-96, Allen shined for Georgetown College and was among the interesting basketball players in the NBA draft. So interesting that Philadelphia selected him with the first pick over future All-Stars like Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Sharif Abdur-Rahim and Stephen Marbury.

Allen is far from the tallest player in the NBA at 183cm, but Philadelphia sees in him a limitless talent that could revitalize the Penn State lineup. The balance in the previous season of the team was 18 wins and 64 losses, which leaves it far from the playoffs. Allen's first meeting with the team is against the Milwaukee Bucks. Iverson's magic shines in the moment. Despite the loss to the Stags, he scored 30 points and dished out 6 assists. It is tied for third Willie Anderson's feat in a guard's NBA debut.

A few days later, Allen faced the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. New York sees the rookie with a balance of 35 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Among the famous games in the guard's first season is the one against the Chicago Bulls. At the time, the Bulls were 55-8, but Iverson scored 37 points and made history with an amazing crossover against Michael Jordan.

These are just some of the matchups that earned Al the NBA Rookie of the Year award. For 76 games in it, he played an average of over 40 minutes per game, scored 23.5 points, handed out 7.5 assists and grabbed over 4 rebounds. Data that any even more experienced basketball player can be proud of. The Rookie of the Year award ranks Allen alongside names like Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Luka Doncic and more.

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