Hall of Famer Allen Iverson told Shaquille O’Neal and Adam Lefkoe on “The Big Podcast With Shaq” that he would average 43.0 points in today’s NBA.
A four-time scoring champion, Iverson averaged a career-high 33.0 points during the 2005-06 season. The late great Kobe Bryant led the NBA in scoring that season (35.4 points).
Allen Iverson on what he would average in the game today:
"If I was to play in this era where it's wide open. If I can average 33 in a season, imma just take it up to 43. I know 10 points more."
[via @bigpodwithshaq ] pic.twitter.com/R4ABMMOASW
— BASKETBALL ON (@BasketballOnX) February 21, 2024
Iverson is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He’s ninth all-time in points per game (26.7). The 11-time All-Star averaged over 30.0 points in a season four times.
In 914 games with the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies, Iverson averaged 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.2 blocks. He made seven All-NBA teams.
Iverson is 28th in NBA history in points (24,368). He won the 2001 MVP Award after averaging 31.1 points and leading the Sixers to 56 wins in the regular season.
In five games, O’Neal, Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers beat Iverson and the Sixers in the 2001 Finals. Iverson led the series in points per game (35.6).
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic leads the NBA this season in points per game (34.2). Iverson could score in the paint and from the mid-range and 3-point line during his prime. With the new defensive rules making scoring easier and how much space there is on offense, Iverson would likely feast.
The 1996-97 Rookie of the Year, Iverson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was also named one of the top 75 players of all time in 2022.
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DENVER — There's nothing like coming to Coors Field to fix what ails you. Just ask the Toronto Blue Jays. Losers of six of eight games before arriving in Denver, the Blue Jays posted an MLB-record 63 hits in a three-game series while easily sweeping a road series from the Colorado Rockies. By totaling 25 hits on Monday night, 14 on Tuesday and 24 in Wednesday's matinee, the Blue Jays set a new MLB standard for offensive prowess. Toronto passed the MLB record of 62 hits in a three-game series, set by the Boston Red Sox in a June 7-9, 1950 matchup against the St. Louis Browns. As part of the hit parade, Toronto smashed 13 home runs, the most ever surrendered by the Rockies in a three-game set. Included in that barrage were three hits by Bo Bichette, including a three-run shot on Wednesday afternoon that got the Blue Jays rolling in the third inning. Kyle Freeland, Wednesday's starter for Colorado, allowed seven hits in his 4.2 innings of work. That was the fewest amount of hits given up by a Rockies starter against Toronto, as Rockies starter Tanner Gordon allowed 11 in 2.2 frames on Monday, while Anthony Molina surrendered nine in 5.0 innings on Tuesday. "We need to pitch with confidence as starting pitchers. We need to command the baseball better in general," said Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer as his team slipped to 30-84 on the season. "We have to put hitters away when we have that opportunity." That was something Colorado couldn't do against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, as their first six runs of a 20-1 blowout win came with two outs in the frame. Wednesday's offensive explosion helped Toronto outscore the Rockies, 45-6, in the series. That run differential was the second-most in MLB's modern era and the most runs scored by an MLB team in a three-game series since the 2019 Chicago Cubs scored 47 runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates from Sept. 13-15, 2019. In all, the 45 runs, 63 hits and 13 home runs allowed in the series were each the most allowed by Colorado pitchers in a three-game set in franchise history. How bad did it get for Colorado at the end of the series? Down 12-1 entering the ninth inning on Wednesday, the Rockies put catcher Austin Nola on the mound for his first-ever pitching appearance. He was nothing like his younger brother, Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola, as he promptly gave up four consecutive doubles, including RBI shots from Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as part of eight hits and eight runs posted by the Blue Jays against him. "It hurts when you get beat that bad for three games," Nola said. "We can compete with anybody. I know we can. We're all Major League players, so it definitely hurts. We're going to have to flush this one and get back out there on Friday in Arizona and have a new competitive attitude." All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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