Len Bias's promising NBA career never actually began, but it still undoubtedly ended way too early. Coming out of the University of Maryland, Bias averaged Even more impressive, Bias earned the ACC Player of the Year honor during his senior season, in which he averaged Based on that impressive senior season production, Bias became the second overall pick of the NBA Draft, which landed him on the Boston Celtics' roster. After traveling to New York City for the draft announcement, Bias returned to his dorm room at the University of Maryland.
Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful, ending his NBA career as quickly as it started. Bias's death was a result of cocaine use that night, which makes his untimely death all that more tragic. The saddest part of Len Bias's tragic death is that it was percent avoidable.
While we'll never know how great of an NBA player Len Bias could have been, his tragic death sparked anti-drug advocacy on the part of his parents, which undoubtedly has impacted thousands of lives. While Iverson's career didn't necessarily "end" early, his career with his hometown 76ers ended too early because of his falling out with Philadelphia after the NBA season.
In , Iverson was sent to the Denver Nuggets, where he joined pure scorer Carmelo Anthony and formed one of the most deadly scoring combinations in the NBA that year.
In two years with the Nuggets, Iverson averaged Iverson was then dealt during the season to the Detroit Pistons, followed by signing a one-year contract during the season with the Grizzlies then returning to Philadelphia the next year.
Over those three years, Iverson only played in 82 out of games, which all but ended his career in the NBA. After a short stint in the Turkish basketball league, Iverson tried to make a return to the NBA, but so far there haven't been any teams interested in signing the year-old. Iverson's still got some gas left in the tank, and any team looking for some production off the bench would be wise to sign him.
It's a shame that Iverson and the 76ers couldn't work out their issues back in , because if they had, Iverson undoubtedly could have helped the 76ers stay in the title hunt in the Eastern Conference.
Iverson will undoubtedly go down as one of the best to play the game, but his career will be tarnished by not being able to stay with the 76ers for the entirety of his NBA career. Enjoy our content? Join our newsletter to get the latest in sports news delivered straight to your inbox! As proven by him being picked by the Sixers with the number one overall in the NBA's draft. He would go on to win Rookie of the Year honors and immediately established himself as one of the league's best players.
The rest should have been history. His career should have been easy going from there. Everyone thought Iverson would spend his career in Philly, put up huge numbers, and win multiple championships. But with a guy like Iverson, there are no such things as storybook endings. Iverson's on court play wasn't really a problem. His mix of solid shooting, sweet dribble moves , and relentless effort attacking the hoop established him as possibly the most dominant scorer since Jordan.
The importance of those games is measured by rivalries and the "I need to see that guy" factor. That's it. From to , Iverson always made my list. So I don't give a crap about Iverson's win shares, his ranking among top-fifty scorers with the lowest shooting percentage or whatever.
Every post Y2K ticket to an Iverson game guaranteed a professional, first-class performance, and for whatever reason, he was always more breathtaking in person. He played injured in the playoffs and established himself as perhaps the pound-for-pound toughest player in the game. But what perhaps spoke louder than his scoring was his swagger.
That's a very overused word today, but Iverson had it. Hell, you can even say Iverson invented it. Iverson had cornrows. He had tattoos all over his body. He got off the bus and walked around in "gangster" clothes. He was friends with rappers. For better or worse, Iverson changed the whole cultural significance of the NBA. You can pretty much credit him for David Stern's dress code. His off-court behavior fueled the fire as well. He recorded a Hip-Hop song that was never released supposedly because it was extremely homophobic.
He was arrested for possession of marijuana and guns. He was always getting into trouble at casino's and was actually banned from Atlantic City. It was at this time, around , that Iverson became the most loved and hated basketball player on the planet.
The "new school" of NBA fans loved his energy. They loved his highlight reel plays. They loved how his swagger appealed to young people. If brought up in conversation, there was not one athlete who drew more extreme different opinions than Iverson. His relationship with coach Larry Brown was always a national story as well. Despite multiple reports of issues between the two, both always said they had a ton of respect for each other and both credit each other for their success.
The most notable moment was after the Sixers lost in the playoffs and Brown criticized Iverson for missing practice that week. This led to one of the most infamous press conferences in sports history.
Larry Brown left Philly after the season, and Iverson's play and attitude in the city was never the same. He and new coach Chris Ford had a whole slew of problems with each other. Ford didn't just let Iverson skip practice, he suspended him if he did so.
Iverson got in trouble for not telling the coach that he was sick and would miss a game; also refusing to play at one point because Ford wanted him to come off the bench while he was coming back from an injury. Iverson retires: To be 76er until 'day I die'. Joerger leaving Sixers to have cancer treatments. Philadelphia 76ers.
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