Sixers officially announce Iverson jersey retirement

Photo c/o Clarence Tabb, Jr. from The Detroit News via USA Today

Just before the start of the season, Allen Iverson announced his official retirement from the NBA. The question then was, when are they going to put the 3 on the Wells Fargo Center rafters?

We now have that answer.

The Sixers are going to have their Allen Iverson jersey retirement on March 1, against the Washington Wizards.

According to Sixers CEO Scott O'Neill, “Allen Iverson is, without question, one of the most iconic players to ever wear the Sixers uniform. Allen left everything out on the court and no one could ever question his heart – he was relentless, fearless and pound-for-pound, was one of the greatest to ever play the game.”

"The Answer" played 722 games for the 76ers (6th best in franchise history), logging in 29,879 minutes (2nd most in franchise history). He averaged 27.6 points, which is tied with the legendary Wilt Chamberlain as the highest in Philly.

Other franchise accolades:

Iverson also ranks among the top players in Sixers history in field goals made (3^rd, 6,962), field goals attempted (2^nd, 16,543), free throws made (2^nd, 5,122), free throws attempted (2^nd, 6,576), assists, (3^rd, 4,385), steals (2^nd, 1,644) and points (2^nd, 19,931).

During the course of his career, Iverson would go on to earn the following accolades :

NBA Most Valuable Player (2001)
3× All-NBA First Team (1999, 2001, 2005)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1997)
3× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2002, 2003)
11× NBA All-Star (2000–2010)
All-NBA Third Team (2006)
2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2001, 2005)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1997)
4× NBA scoring champion (1999, 2001, 2002, 2005)
2× NBA steals leader (2003, 2005)

Of course, there are those lasting images to accompany the feats, from the crossover to the step-over. There is no question he belongs up in the rafters alongside the other Sixers legends.