Claim: Allen Iverson was in the NBA as a rookie.

Allen Ezail Iverson -LRB- born June 7 , 1975 -RRB- is an American professional basketball player who played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association -LRB- NBA -RRB- . He played both the shooting guard and point guard positions . Iverson was an eleven-time NBA All-Star , won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005 , and was the NBA 's Most Valuable Player -LRB- MVP -RRB- in 2001 .   Iverson attended Bethel High School in Hampton , Virginia , and was a dual-sport athlete . He earned the Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both football and basketball , and won the Division AAA Virginia state championship in both sports . After high school , Iverson attended Georgetown University for two years , where he set the school record for career scoring average -LRB- 22.9 points per game -RRB- and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years .   Following two successful years at Georgetown , Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft , and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first overall pick . He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996 -- 97 season . Winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998 -- 99 , 2000 -- 01 , 2001 -- 02 , and 2004 -- 05 seasons , Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history , despite his relatively small stature -LRB- listed at 6 feet , 0 inches -RRB- . His regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks sixth all-time , and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan . Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000 -- 01 season and led his team to the 2001 NBA Finals the same season . Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics , winning the bronze medal . He also played for the Denver Nuggets , Detroit Pistons , and the Memphis Grizzlies , before ending his NBA career with the 76ers during the 2009 -- 10 season .   Iverson was rated the fifth-greatest NBA shooting guard of all time by ESPN in 2008 . He officially announced his retirement from professional basketball on October 30 , 2013 . On April 4 , 2016 , Iverson was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame .