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10 Aprils of A.I.

Throughout the 2005-06 season, the Sixers will join NBA.com and Reebok in paying tribute to “the toughest little man the league has ever seen.” At the conclusion of every month, Sixers.com will post a comparison of all 10 of those months that Iverson has played throughout his career. After taking a look at Iverson’s performance in each month, you, the fan, will get to vote and decide in which year Iverson performed best in the month of November, December, January, etc. Then, at the conclusion of the season, as well as the conclusion of one decade of A.I., you will be able to vote which overall season was Iverson’s most successful.

As Iverson has now concluded his 10th April in the NBA, you can get started and begin the voting. Take a look at Iverson's stats, accomplishments, awards, and the Sixers team performance for each April over the past 10 years, and then vote as to which April you feel was A.I.'s best.

10 Years of A.I. Index
April 1997

While April of 1997 was only Allen Iverson's first April in the league, it may have been his best. Iverson set the 76ers Rookie Scoring record on Apr. 1 against Orlando (previously held by Jerry Stackhouse). He set the NBA record for most consecutive games with 40 or more points by a rookie with five. He scored a Sixers rookie record 50 points against Cleveland, including 39 in the second half. He had 32 points and 10 rebounds on April 5 vs. Charlotte and had 32 points and 15 assists on April 18 against Boston. He was named NBA Player of the Week for the week of 4/13 and NBA Rookie of the Month for April. The team went 2-10 for the month.

Games
Points
Assists
Steals
11
33.6
8.7
2.3

Chuck Solomon/NBAE/Getty Images

April 1998

Iverson tied or led the Sixers in scoring in all but one of the 10 contests in April, including a phenomenal 43-point performance in Minnesota on April 10. He went 78 minutes (over three games) without committing a turnover between April 3 and April 6. He shot .525 from the floor for the month. Iverson had three blocks against Chicago on April 17. He also had team-highs in points (36), rebounds (9), assists (8), and steals (4) and did not commit a turnover in 44 minutes against Toronto on April 5. The Sixers went 5-5 during April of 1998.

Games
Points
Assists
Steals
10
28.5
5.2
2.3

Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty Images

April 1999

Because of the lockout, April was not the last month of the NBA season in 1999. Iverson recorded his fourth double-double of the season (first in points and rebounds) with 32 points and 10 assists at Washington on April 11. For the month, the Sixers went 11-6 with Iverson missing one game due to injury.

Games
Points
Assists
Steals
16
22.5
3.8
2.9

Vincent Laforet/NBAE/Getty Images

April 2000

Iverson missed one game due to synovitis in the left knee and a broken left big toe in April of 2000. He scored in double-figures for every game he played in during the month, and had 30 points and seven assists against Detroit on April 15. The team went 7-3 for the month.

Games
Points
Assists
Steals
15
24.9
4.5
2.2

Craig Jones/NBAE/Getty Images

April 2001

Iverson was once again slowed by injuries in the final month of his MVP campaign, missing four total games (two because of a tailbone contusion and two because of right elbow bursitis). He had 37 points, seven assists and three steals against Indiana on April 1, Scored another 37 points against Boston on April 9, totaled 41 points at Miami on April 10, and finished the season by scoring in double-digits 60 straight times. The team went 6-4 for the month.

Games
Points
Assists
Steals
6
28.7
3.2
2.0

Tom Pidgeon/NBAE/Getty Images

April 2002

Iverson missed the entire month of April, 2002 with a fractured left hand.



April 2003

Against the Pistons on April 8, Iverson scred 37 points, including the 13,000th of his career, and broke the Sixers single-season steals record set by Steve Mix (212) in 1973-74. He had three double-doubles in nine games, including a game of 24 points, 12 assists, and three steals against Chicago on April 2. The Sixers went 4-5 for the month.

Games
Points
Assists
Steals
9
27.2
7.6
2.6

Ezra Shaw/NBAE/Getty Images

April 2004

Iverson missed the entire month of April, 2004 because of a right knee lesion of articular cartilage of trochlear groove.



April 2005

While Iverson missed one game due to sprains of both of his thumbs, he was still able to lead the Sixers to the most successful April in recent memory for the Sixers, going 8-3. Iverson had 23 points, 16 assists and five steals against Cleveland on April 8. He had 38 points and 16 assists in a game against Miami on April 14, becoming just the fourth player since 1996-97 to have at least 35 points and 15 assists in a single game. He had only two turnovers in 53 minutes in that game. And on April 15, Iverson scored 16 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter and hit a jump shot with 0:08 remaining to give the Sixers an 89-86 advantage.

Games
Points
Assists
Steals
10
32.8
9.1
2.7

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

April 2006

Iverson had a successful statistical month in April of 2006 while trying to lead the Sixers to one final playoff push. He had two double-doubles in the month, both coming in back to back games. He had 26 points and 15 assists in a win against Washington on April 10, and had 40 points and 10 assists in a win over the New Jersey Nets on April 12. Iverson missed the final two games of the season due to a sore ankle.

Games
Points
Assists
Steals
9
33.8
6.7
1.3

Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images