Allen Iverson has always been a polarizing figure — at once one of the NBA's most popular and least popular players.
His detractors point to his pre-Georgetown University trouble with the law, his supposed selfishness on the court, his disdain of practice and his teams' relative lack of success among other reasons for their derision.
But for many others, Iverson is an inspiration. He's an averaged-sized man — downright tiny by NBA standards — who worked his way to becoming a scoring machine, perennial All-Star and one-time NBA MVP.
On the flawed 2004 USA Olympic basketball team, it seemed like Iverson was the only one who really wanted to win at times. That team only brought home the bronze from Athens, but it wasn't Iverson's fault. He'd been the U.S.'s best player.
Now Iverson is out of the NBA and a statement from him was released on Wednesday announcing his plans to retire — although many, including his old coach John Thompson at Georgetown, expect him to return.
Whether Iverson returns or not and whether you love or hate him, the plain truth is that he was an amazing basketball talent, especially considering his size, or lack thereof.
Iverson is listed at exactly 6 feet tall, but most feel like that's an exaggeration.
"He's one of the best when you talk about guys 6-foot and under in the game of basketball," said LeBron James this week of Iverson. "He played injured and he played hard every single night."
Iverson's personal resume is impressive. He was the 1996-97 Rookie of the Year. He won the NBA scoring title four times and the MVP honor for the 2000-01 season — the year he led the 76ers to the NBA Finals. His lifetime 27.1 points per game scoring average is the fifth-best all-time.
And A.I. is even smaller than Hall of Famers like John Stockton and Nate "Tiny" Archibald, who both stand 6-1, and the 6-2 Jerry West. While Steve Nash may seem small when you watch him play around NBA giants, he's actually listed at 6-3.
Iverson, indeed, may be the best NBA player ever under 6-feet tall.
Then again, there are very few men who are 5-foot-something who even make it in the league. Here's a list of the top 11 such players of the past 30 years or so in order of their total points scored:
CALVIN MURPHY
The 5-9 dynamo is a Houston Rockets legend and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. During his 13-year NBA career, from 1970-83, Murphy was known for his outstanding free-throw shooting, quickness and ball handling skills. He scored 17,949 points, which is second-most in Rockets history behind only Hakeem Olajuwon.
TIM HARDAWAY
Utah and BYU fans from the late 1980s will remember the 5-11 Hardaway for his days in the old WAC starring for UTEP. In the NBA from 1989 to 2003, Hardaway played for five teams, most notably Golden State and Miami. He was a super-quick point guard with a wicked cross-over dribble drive who averaged 17.7 points and 8.2 assists for his career, finishing with a total of 15,373 points.
TERRELL BRANDON
Brandon was the 11th overall pick in the 1991 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers after an impressive college career at Oregon despite standing just 5-11. His best years were with the Cavs, where he was an All-Star in 1996 and '97. Nagging injuries cut short his career, but he still managed to score 9,994 points (13.8 average) and dish out 4,407 assists (6.1 average) during his career that ended in Minnesota in 2002.
MICHAEL ADAMS
Adams entered the NBA in 1985 and had one huge season with the run-and-gun Denver Nuggets in 1990-91, averaging 26.5 points and 10.5 assists. The 5-10 point guard was traded to the Washington Bullets and was an All-Star for the East in 2002. He once held the NBA record for consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer of 79, but that mark was broken by another sub-6-footer, Dana Barros. Adams finished his career with 9,621 points and 4,209 assists.
DANA BARROS
Barros, who is 5-11, was drafted by Seattle, had his best season in Philadelphia and spent the most time with the Celtics during his career that ran from 1989 to 2002 (before a one-game return to the Celtics in 2004). His best year came in 1994-95 when he averaged 20.6 points for the 76ers. An outstanding 3-point shooter, Barros finished with a lifetime 41.1 success rate beyond the arc. He scored 8,901 points overall for a 10.5 average.
AVERY JOHNSON
Johnson was never as dynamic as some of his point guard contemporaries like Hardaway. He was, however, like a coach on the court during his career from 1988 to 2004 — especially during his time with the San Antonio Spurs. Johnson, who stands just 5-10, scored 8,817 points (8.4 per game average) and dished out 5,846 assists (5.5 average) in the Association. He went on to become a successful head coach of the Dallas Mavericks and is now an analyst with ESPN.
SPUD WEBB
At just 5-7, Webb may be best known for his 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest win over contestants more than a foot taller than him. Webb, who owned a 42-inch vertical leap, wasn't just a dunker. He was a solid NBA player for 12 seasons, scoring a total of 8,072 points for a 9.9 per game average. He played his first six years with Atlanta but was also a starter for the Sacramento Kings from 1991 to 1995.
MUGGSY BOGUES
Bogues is the shortest player in NBA history, at just 5-3. He was drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1987, where he was a teammate as a rookie with 7-7 Manute Bol, making for the biggest disparity in height between teammates in league history. Despite his lack of size and the defensive liability caused by it, Bogues was a solid NBA player for four different teams, most notably the Charlotte Hornets. He averaged 7.7 points (6,858 total) and 7.6 assists for his career that ended in 2000 with Toronto.
BREVIN KNIGHT
Jazz fans remembering only his struggles last season may not believe it, but Knight was a solid point guard at one time. As recently as the 2005-06 season, the 5-10 Knight averaged 12.6 points and 8.8 assists for the Charlotte Bobcats. He scored 5,342 points with 4,481 assists (6.1 per game) during his 12-year career.
EARL BOYKINS
The 5-5 Boykins played in Italy last season, but he's back in the NBA this year with the Washington Wizards — making him, once again, the current shortest player in the league. The Wizards are his ninth NBA team, but he is best known for his time from 2003 to '07 with the Denver Nuggets. Boykins is nearly to the 5,000-point total for his career, having scored 4,967 through Washington's win over Miami on Friday night.
NATE ROBINSON
The best active player under 6-feet — as long as Iverson doesn't return — is the 5-9 Robinson of the New York Knicks. Robinson has already been an All-Star. Now in his fifth NBA season, Robinson averaged 17.2 points per game last season, although he's averaging only 10.7 so far this year. The former University of Washington star has 3,607 points in the NBA through Friday night's loss to the Nuggets and, barring an injury, figures to pass the majority of the aforementioned players in scoring on this list before his career is through.
e-mail: lojo@desnews.com