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Allen Iverson was one of NBA history’s deadliest scorers and most electrifying players. The 6-foot-1 former superstar was a four-time scoring champ and the 2000-01 league MVP. He carried the Philadelphia 76ers to the 2001 Finals but lost to the legendary Shaq-Kobe Lakers.
Many basketball fans are convinced that the 76ers might have gotten a real shot at winning the championship if Iverson had better teammates. More specifically, if Philadelphia had another reliable scorer playing alongside “The Answer,” he might have given the franchise a Larry O’Brien Trophy.
When asked in an interview with Rachel Nichols about who he would pick among today’s players as his backcourt mate, Allen Iverson answered:
“I would want it to be Luka [Doncic] because he’s a big point guard. I can still play the two [shooting guard]. He can guard the two, I guard the one. I think it’d just be deadly.”
Iverson sharing the backcourt with Luka Doncic will terrorize every defense. Both are ruthless scorers and intensely competitive. One can only imagine how “Luka Legend” will dissect defenses with “AI” as his backcourt mate.
Allen Iverson’s best years, when it comes to team success, was when he played alongside Aaron McKie and Eric Snow. Both were versatile guards who handled playmaking and were at least solid on the defensive end. The two, however, didn’t have the scoring skills that would have given Iverson a little more breathing space.
Luka Doncic is one of the best playmakers in the NBA. He routinely tortures opponents with how he manipulates defenses. The Slovenian is a ready and willing passer. He would have had fun playing alongside one of the greatest scorers the league has ever seen. And unlike McKie and Snow, Doncic will occupy defenders’ attention with his also mind-boggling scoring skills.
Basketball fans and even Allen Iverson can only dream of such a partnership. The two on the same team would have been must-see TV.
Allen Iverson once shared Philadelphia’s backcourt with another superb scorer
The Philadelphia 76ers made Jerry Stackhouse the No. 3 pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. Many were convinced that he would become so good that they dubbed him “The Next Jordan.” Philly, however, had another disappointing season and finished with the top pick in the 1996 draft.
The Sixers didn’t hesitate to grab Allen Iverson, the flamboyant former Georgetown Hoyas superstar. Philadelphia now had two of the NBA’s most popular and rising stars. Coach Larry Brown, however, couldn’t see his team improving much anchored on the Stackhouse-Iverson partnership. He decided to trade the former to the Detroit Pistons and made the latter the franchise cornerstone.
Jerry Stackhouse was a good scorer but he wasn’t the playmaker that Luka Doncic is. Stackhouse had a hard time sharing the ball with a ball-dominant point guard who was also his biggest competitor when it came to scoring.
Philadelphia made the right decision with Allen Iverson leading the team. The Sixers decided to partner him with a non-scoring guard to avoid a repeat of the Stackhouse situation. But had they found someone who could facilitate and also deliver big baskets, they might have ended up with a championship.
