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Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson hit the ground running after being selected No. 1 in the 1996 NBA draft out of Georgetown. However, according to the former MVP, he was humbled by one veteran star during his rookie season (1996-97).
On “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” fellow NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal asked Iverson which player intimidated him the most to start his career. O’Neal noted that he was afraid to face off against Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan during his rookie season with the Orlando Magic (1992-93).
As for Iverson, he highlighted his first matchup against former Phoenix Suns star guard Kevin Johnson in which he was shown up by the veteran. According to the 11-time All-Star, Johnson dominated him so thoroughly that he was in tears postgame.
“I remember my first game and K.J., I was the same speed, fast like him, all that, but he had that John Stockton mentality. … K.J. was just backdooring me, he was just destroying me because he was just outsmarting me, and that was the first time I got destroyed in my life,” Iverson said.
“He had 36, nine and nine, and I remember Mo Cheeks coming up to my locker room and was like, ‘Don’t worry about it A.I.’ I was literally crying … I never let anybody destroy me like that and he was like, ‘Don’t worry about it A.I., someday you’ll give somebody 36, nine and nine.’”
(10:38 mark below)
Johnson’s statistics from his and Iverson’s first matchup don’t match the exact stats that Iverson referenced. However, Johnson still recorded a game-high 36 points, three rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two 3-pointers on 59.1% shooting on Iverson in their first showdown.
That contest occurred midway through the Sixers star's rookie season (Feb. 26, 1997), with Johnson’s Suns securing a 111-104 victory.
Iverson finished with just eight points, two rebounds, six assists, one steal, one 3-pointer and four turnovers on 20.0% shooting that night. The outing marked the second-lowest scoring performance of his rookie season.
After getting humbled by Kevin Johnson, Allen Iverson won 1997 Rookie of the Year award
Allen Iverson may have been humbled by Kevin Johnson and had a few other rough shooting nights during his rookie season. However, he still went on to win the 1997 Rookie of the Year award, edging out then-Minnesota Timberwolves rising star guard Stephon Marbury.
Over 76 games as a rookie, Allen Iverson averaged 23.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.0 3s per game on 41.6% shooting. He went on to become widely considered one of the NBA’s greatest scorers of all time.
Meanwhile, the 1996-97 season marked Johnson’s last as a star-caliber player and he ultimately retired shortly after in 1998. The three-time All-Star later made a brief NBA comeback before retiring for good in 2000.
Over 12 seasons with Phoenix and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Johnson averaged 17.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 9.1 apg and 1.5 spg on 49.3% shooting.
