When one remembers Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson, one will remember two things: his elite scoring ability and his willingness to put his body on the line every night and play through injury in order to help his team win.
Iverson averaged 27.6 points and 6.1 assists in his career for Philadelphia and he ended up winning four scoring titles. He won an MVP award in 2001 and he led the team to the NBA Finals in 2001.
What was even more impressive about Iverson’s run in 2001 was that he did so without a bonafide sidekick next to him. Philadelphia struggled to find the right Robin to Iverson’s Batman all throughout his career as they made moves that were expected to help The Answer get the Sixers to the top and Sixers Wire is going to list the sidekicks Iverson had in Philadelphia.
Larry Hughes
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Hughes was selected in the 1998 NBA draft with the eighth overall pick and he was expected to form a star duo with Iverson, but he averaged only 9.1 points as a rookie and then 10.0 points in the 1999-00 season before he was traded to the Golden State Warriors.
Derrick Coleman
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Coleman, an All-Star with the then-New Jersey Nets, was acquired by Philadelphia in a trade in 1995 initially and he averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in three seasons before he left to sign with the Charlotte Hornets. The Sixers then re-acquired him in 2001 and he was on the decline of what was a very solid career he had.
Eric Snow
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Snow was acquired from the then-Seattle SuperSonics in 1998 and while he was never a big scorer, he always seemed to make a big shot when the Sixers needed it. He and Iverson were together over the course of seven seasons before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004.
Aaron McKie
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Acquired from the Detroit Pistons in a deal in 1997, McKie was primarily coming off the bench, but make no mistake, he was second in command to Iverson on the offensive end. He averaged 11.6 points in the 2000-01 season and he then averaged 14.6 points in the 2001 postseason which was second to Iverson’s 32.6 per game.
Theo Ratliff
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Ratliff was acquired in the same Aaron McKie trade with the Pistons and he was never a big offensive guy, but he was an elite shot-blocker. He led the league in blocks with 3.7 in the 2000-01 season, but he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks after he suffered a season-ending injury.
Toni Kukoc
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Kukoc was acquired from the Chicago Bulls in 2000 and the Sixers were hoping he could bring his scoring ability to Philadelphia next to Iverson. He was averaging 18.8 points for the Bulls before he was sent to Philadelphia and he averaged only 12.4 points for the Sixers and that scoring dipped to 9.3 in the playoffs. He was traded to the Hawks in 2001 along with Ratliff.
Dikembe Mutombo
AP Photo/ H. Rumph, Jr.
Mutombo was acquired from the Hawks in the Ratliff deal and while he was still one of the top players in the league, he was an All-Star in the 2001-02 season for Philadelphia, he was on the decline. He averaged 11.5 points and 11.2 rebounds along with 2.4 blocks for the Sixers. He was then traded to the Nets.
Matt Harping
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Harpring was solid in the 2001-02 season after he was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 11.8 points and 7.1 rebounds, but again, the Sixers needed more next to Iverson. He was sent to the Utah Jazz in the 2002 offseason.
Keith Van Horn
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Van Horn, acquired in the Mutombo deal, was next in line to try and find the right sidekick next to Iverson. He had averaged 18.2 points as a member of the Nets, but he averaged 15.9 points for the Sixers and his defense wasn’t great. He lasted one season before he was traded to the New York Knicks as part of a 4-team deal.
Glenn Robinson
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Robinson was next as he joined the Sixers from the Atlanta Hawks in the 4-team deal that sent Van Horn to New York. A 2-time All-Star with the Milwaukee Bucks, he played only 42 games for Philadelphia as he and Iverson struggled mightily to mesh and he was traded to the then-New Orleans Hornets in the offseason. He was waived and then played nine games for the Spurs in the 2004-05 season before retiring.
Chris Webber
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Webber was a future Hall of Famer when the Sixers acquired him from the Sacramento Kings in 2005 and he averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds with Philadelphia next to Iverson, but his knees betrayed him and he just wasn’t the same dominant player. The Sixers made the playoffs that season with the duo, but they were ousted by the Detroit Pistons in five games. Then they missed the playoffs in the 2005-06 season and both he and Iverson then missed fan appreciation night. The following season, Iverson was traded and then Webber was eventually released.
Andre Iguodala
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Iguodala was selected in the 2004 NBA draft and the highflyer played with Iverson for a little over two seasons before The Answer was sent to the Denver Nuggets. This is a “what could have been” scenario as one wonders what the duo could have done if Iverson stuck around a bit longer. Iguodala was so young during that short time together and he obviously wasn’t the player he is now.
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Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire
