National Basketball Association

Allen Iverson: An Era of Attitude and Expression

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Basketball hall of fame inductees Allen Iverson, Tom Izzo and Jerry Reinsdorf during halftime of the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men

Allen Iverson is to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame today, and it’s only right that we remember his short-lived tenure in Denver.

December 19, 2006; that was the day when the rising tensions in Philadelphia were finally over. It was when the 76ers traded the perceived savior of Philadelphia basketball, Allen Iverson.

However, the trade did not come unexpected. In fact just ten days before the deal, former 76ers chairman Ed Snider said, “We’re going to trade him.”

“At a certain point, you have to come to grips with the fact that it’s not working. He wants out and we’re ready to accommodate him.”

Snider made those statements immediately following the 76ers decision to send Iverson home and rule him inactive for a two game stretch.

Even now, it’s hard to look back at that situation see a scenario in which both the 76ers and Iverson could continue to coexist. The only thing they could do was trade him.

In the ensuing days, the rumors as to where Iverson would be traded to seemed endless. The likeliest of which appeared to be Minnesota.

The swirling rumors actually excited Kevin Garnett, who at the time was still in his first stint with the Timberwolves. “Bring it on, I love ‘The Answer, we welcome A.I. with open arms,” Garnett said, not yet knowing what fate would have in store for himself.

As you likely know, Minnesota wasn’t where Iverson was traded.

That honor went to the Denver Nuggets, who hoped that his addition would lead to their first NBA championship.

An Answer for Mile High Basketball

The moment the news broke that Allen Iverson was going to start playing alongside Carmelo Anthony, was also when the expectations for the two skyrocketed.

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At the time, Anthony and Iverson were the top two scorers in the league at 31.6 and 31.2 points per game. So on paper, the Nuggets formed one of the greatest duos that the NBA had ever seen. That not only excited fans, but Iverson as well.

“I’m very happy about the trade,” Iverson said. “Denver’s style of play fits my strengths. I’m looking forward to playing with Carmelo, the rest of the Denver Nuggets, and for George Karl, who is a proven winner.”

But things don’t always go quite as predicted, and in this case that’s somewhat of a good thing.

Even though Iverson’s tenure never brought along a championship, it did bring in something that would change how everyone on the team would play and act. It brought in an attitude that garner fear from the league.

Allen Iverson allowed his teammates to be real.

He showed them how much better it feels when you act like your true self. That’s why so many of us viewed those Nuggets as rebels at a time when the league was trying to stray from the so-called “hero-ball” era.

When the rest every other team endorsed the restrictions of their players expression, the Nuggets pushed for uniqueness. The personalities in Denver were too strong to have it any other way.

In addition to Iverson and Anthony, the Nuggets also had Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith and Chris Anderson on their roster, all of whom have an outspoken reputation. Unfortunately, the very thing which made the Nuggets so special would be their downfall.

As months passed, the argument as to whose team it was grew. Many felt as if it should have been Iverson’s due to his career accomplishments. But just as many felt that it was Anthony’s because he had been drafted by Denver to fill such a role.

In the end the Nuggets opted in favor of a team led by Anthony, choosing to Iverson to the Detroit Pistons only 685 days after acquiring him from Philadelphia. Even though his trade meant an end of an era, Iverson’s time in Denver has had a lasting impression.

It was the last time Allen Iverson was truly ‘The Answer’ on an NBA court. But even though his numbers took a dive after his stint in Denver, Allen Iverson will always be remembered as arguably the greatest pound-for-pound talent in NBA history.