The Philadelphia 76ers retired Allen Iverson’s iconic No. 3 jersey on Saturday, which was accompanied by several current and former players sending out congratulatory messages over various social media platforms. One of which was Kobe Bryant, who thanked Iverson via his personal Instagram account, for pushing the Lakers’ guard to raise the level of his game:
Bryant was of course born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the two guards went head-to-head many times throughout their respective careers, including the 2001 NBA Finals. During that postseason, the Lakers swept through the Western Conference playoffs to reach the Finals. Iverson then put an end to their 11-game winning streak with 48 points in a Game 1 overtime victory. The Lakers would win the next four games and their second consecutive NBA title.
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Iverson finishes his career 21st on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 24,368 points and one MVP award. The next stop for the 14-year guard is likely the NBA Hall of Fame, once he is eligible to be up for vote.
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