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.

Sixers go for 4-0

c/o Alex Brandon. Taken from ESPN's TrueHoop

There are four NBA teams that are currently undefeated. Two of them made the historical trip to Manila. The third is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

And then there is the curious case of the Philadelphia 76ers.



Expectations made towards them were low, given their recent moves. Their hashtag is brutally honest, too. #TogetherWeBuild.

However, the Sixers managed to pull out late victories against Eastern Conference contenders Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls at the Wells Fargo Center, while traveling to the Verizon Center and beating the Wizards in DC.

Leading the way is their first round pick, Michael Carter-Williams. Unsurprisingly, the Syracuse alum and 11th overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft has been named as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. As quoted from the NBA's official press release:

Carter-Williams is only the second player (Shaquille O'Neal, 1992) to earn the honor to begin his rookie season. The 11th overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft, Carter-Williams helped guide the Sixers to a 3-0 start, which included wins over the defending champion Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. In his first three NBA games, Carter-Williams averaged 20.7 points and team highs of 9.0 steals and 4.3 steals. In his NBA debut on Oct. 30, a 114-110 home win over the Heat, Carter-Williams recorded 22 points, 12 assists, nine steals and seven rebounds. The nine steals were the most by a rookie in his NBA debut, while the 12 assists represented the second most for a player in his first NBA game (Buffalo's Ernie DiGregorio dished 14 assists in his NBA debut in 1973).

They go for 4-0 against the Splash Bros. and the Golden State Warriors at the Wells Fargo Center.