Allen is a Scottish name and surname which means "handsome". Variant spellings include Alan, Allan, etc. The noble family of this surname, from which a branch went to Portugal, is descended of one Alanus de Buckenhall.

Allen may refer to:

People[link]

• Allen (name) - includes list of people with surname Allen

Taxonomy[link]

Allen as a taxonomical authority may refer to:

• Joel Asaph Allen (1838–1921), ornithologist
• Glover Morrill Allen (1879–1942), mammalogist

Places[link]

• In Argentina:
  • Allen, Río Negro

• In Ireland:
  • Allen, County Kildare

• In Northern Ireland:
  • Allen (townland), a townland in the parish of Desertcreat, County Tyrone

• In the Philippines:
  • Allen, Northern Samar

• In the United Kingdom:
  • Allen, Cornwall
  • River Allen, Dorset
  • River Allen, Northumberland

• In the United States:
  • Allen, Alabama, an unincorporated community in Clarke County, Alabama
  • Allen, California
  • Allen, Kansas
  • Allen, Kentucky
  • Allen, Louisiana
  • Allen, Maryland
  • Allen, Michigan
  • Allen, Nebraska
  • Allen, New York
  • Allen County, Ohio
  • Allen, Oklahoma
  • Allen, South Dakota
  • Allen, Texas
  • Allen Township (disambiguation), several
  • Allen County (disambiguation), several
  • Allen's, a hamburger joint in Athens, Georgia

Other uses[link]

• Allen (Prison Break), episode of the TV series Prison Break
• Hurricane Allen, hurricane in 1980
• Allen (1913 Automobile), early American automobile
• Allen (brand), brand of tools notably hex keys
• Allen key, Allen wrench, or Hex key, type of hand tool
• Allen Army Air Field, in Alaska
• "Allen" (broken down as "Allen Part 1" and "Allen Part 2"), two episodes of the Adult Swim animated television series Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1
• Allens (confectionery), Australian brand of confectionary
• Allens (law firm), Australian law firm formerly known as Allens Arthur Robinson
• Allen's, a burger joint from Georgia, USA

See also[link]

• Alan (disambiguation)
• Alen (given name)
• Allan (disambiguation)
• Allyn (disambiguation)
• Alleyn
• Alleine
• Van Allen (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Lily Allen
Background information
Birth name	Lily Rose Beatrice Allen
Born	(1985-05-02) 2 May 1985 (age 27) Hammersmith, London, England
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, presenter, actress
Instruments	Vocals, guitar[1]
Years active	2002–present
Labels	London, Regal, Capitol
Website	lilyallenmusic.com

Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper^[2] (born 2 May 1985), better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist, actress and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative. Allen abandoned school and concentrated on improving her performing and compositional skills. Afterwards, she created several demo songs and, near the end of 2005, she created a profile on MySpace where she made some of her recordings public.

A contract was signed with the label Regal Recordings, as the views on MySpace rose to tens of thousands. In 2006, she began to work on completing what would be her first studio album and its first mainstream single "Smile" reached the top position on the UK Singles Chart in July 2006.^[3] Her debut record, Alright, Still, was well received on the international market, selling over 2.6 million copies and brought Allen a nomination at the Grammy Awards, BRIT Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. She then began hosting her own talk-show, Lily Allen and Friends, on BBC Three.

Her second major album release, It's Not Me, It's You, saw a genre shift for her, having more of an electropop feel, rather than the ska and reggae influences of the first one. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and the Australian ARIA Charts and was appreciated by the critics, noting the singer's musical evolution and maturity. It spawned the hit singles "The Fear" and "Fuck You", popular mostly in Europe. Allen and Amy Winehouse have been credited with starting a process that led to the media-proclaimed "year of the women" in 2009 that has seen five female artists making music of "experimentalism and fearlessness" nominated for the Mercury Prize.^[4]

During the autumn of 2010, Allen opened a fashion rental shop "Lucy in Disguise" with her sister Sarah,^[5][6] followed by the 2011 launching of her own record label.^[7]

Life and career[link]

Childhood and youth[link]

Allen was born in Hammersmith, west London, daughter of Welsh-born comedian and actor Keith Allen and English, Portsmouth-born, film producer Alison Owen.^[8] She has an older sister, Sarah; a younger brother, Alfie Owen-Allen (who was the subject of her song "Alfie"); and a younger sister Rebecca.^{[citation needed]} She has a number of half-siblings. At the age of three, Allen appeared on The Comic Strip Presents... episode "The Yob",^[9] which her father had co-written.^[10] When Allen was four years old, her father left the family.^[11] Allen grew up with her mother living on a council estate during her early childhood.^[12][13] Her family settled in the North London borough of Islington. Allen lived for a while with comedian Harry Enfield while her mother dated him. She is the god-daughter of Wild Colonials vocalist Angela McCluskey.^[14] The late Clash singer and guitarist Joe Strummer was close to Allen. Allen has fond memories of the week and a half they would spend together at Glastonbury Festival as part of a regular collective centred on Strummer and her father. Strummer's musical past would not come into focus for Allen until after his death.^[15]

She attended some of the UK's most expensive fee-paying public schools; Allen attended 13 schools in all, including Prince Charles's junior alma mater, Hill House School, Millfield, Bedales School^[11] and was expelled from several of them for drinking and smoking.^[13][16] When Allen was 11, former University of Victoria music student Rachel Santesso overheard Allen singing Wonderwall by Oasis in the school's playground; impressed, Santesso, who later became an award-winning soprano and composer, called Allen into her office the next day and started giving her lunchtime singing lessons. This would lead to Allen singing Baby Mine from Disney's Dumbo at a school concert.^[17] Allen would tell Loveline that the audience was "brought to tears at the sight of a troubled young girl doing something good". At that point Allen said she knew that music was something she needed to do either as a lifelong vocation or to get it out of her system. Allen played piano to grade 5 standard and achieved Grade 8 in singing. She also played violin, guitar and trumpet as well as being a member of a chamber choir. Her first solo was "In the Bleak Midwinter."^[15] Allen made an appearance as a lady-in-waiting in the 1998 film Elizabeth, which was co-produced by her mother.^[18] She dropped out of school at age fifteen, not wanting to "spend a third of her life preparing to work for the next third of her life, to set herself up with a pension for the next third of her life."^[19]

2002–05: Career beginnings[link]

When her family went to Ibiza on holiday, Allen told her mother that she was staying with friends but remained in Sant Antoni de Portmany instead. She earned money by working at a Plastic Fantastic record store and dealing ecstasy.^[19] Allen met her first manager, George Lamb in Ibiza.^[19][20] She was rejected by several labels, which she attributed to her drinking and being the daughter of Keith Allen.^[20] However, she eventually used her father's connections to get signed to London Records in 2002.^[21] When the executive who had signed her left, the label lost interest and she left without releasing the folk songs^[which?] many of which were written by her father.^[15][21][22] She then studied horticulture to become a florist, but changed her mind and returned to music. Allen began writing songs, while her manager introduced her to production duo Future Cut in 2004. They worked in a small studio in the basement of an office building.^[22]

In 2005, Allen was signed to Regal Recordings; they gave her £25,000 to produce an album, though they were unable to provide much support for it due to their preoccupation with other releases such as X&Y (Coldplay) and Demon Days (Gorillaz).^[23] Allen then created an account on MySpace and began posting demos that she recorded in November 2005.^[23] The demos attracted thousands of listeners, and 500 limited edition 7" vinyl singles of "LDN" were rush-released, reselling for as much as £40.^[19][23] Allen also produced two mixtapes — My First Mixtape and My Second Mixtape — to promote her work. As she accumulated tens of thousands of MySpace friends, The Observer Music Monthly (OMM), a magazine published in The Observer, took interest in March 2006.^[19] Few people outside of her label's A&R department knew who she was, so the label was slow in responding to publications wanting to report about her.^[23] She received her first major mainstream coverage, appearing in the magazine's cover story two months later.

[edit] 2006–08: Alright, Still and television

The success convinced her label to allow her more creative control over the album and to use some of the songs that she had written instead of forcing her to work with mainstream producers. Allen decided to work with producers Greg Kurstin and Mark Ronson, finishing the rest of the album in two weeks.^[23] Allen's debut album, Alright, Still, was released in July 2006. Most of the tracks had been previewed on her MySpace page,^[24] including the singles "Smile", "LDN", "Knock 'Em Out", and "Alfie". In September 2006, "Smile" was made available on the United States version of iTunes Store. By December 2006, her music video for Smile had been played on various music channels as well as the song getting a little airplay. Entertainment Weekly named Alright, Still as one of the top 10 albums of 2006 despite the fact that it had not yet been released in the U.S. Allen also did several promotional ads for MTV as their Discover and Download artist of the month for January 2007. The album was released in the United States on 30 January 2007, landing at 20 on the Billboard Album Charts.^[25] By January 2009, the album had sold 960,000 copies in the United Kingdom and 520,000 copies in the United States.^[26]

Performing at "Solidays" on 7 July 2007

In 2007, she played the newly launched Park Stage at the Glastonbury Festival, replacing M.I.A. who had cancelled.^[27] During the festival she reunited two members of The Specials an act that guitarist Lynval Golding claimed played a "massive part" in the group's 2009 reunion.^[28] She also sang the vocals on the top ten single, "Oh My God", a cover of the Kaiser Chiefs song by Mark Ronson. The single, "Littlest Things" from Allen's album produced by Ronson, helped earn him a "Producer of the Year – Non Classical" 2008 Grammy Award.^[29] She also provided background vocals to a couple of songs on the Kaiser Chief's third album in 2008. Allen won a 2008 BMI songwriting award for "Smile".^[30] Allen began dating musician Ed Simons of the Chemical Brothers in September 2007, and in December, Allen announced that she and Simons were expecting a child.^[31] Allen suffered a miscarriage in January 2008.^[32]

Due to her outspokenness, Allen was the subject of many controversies early in her career. Disparaging remarks about musicians Luke Pritchard of The Kooks, Bob Geldof,^[33] Amy Winehouse,^[34] Kylie Minogue,^[35] and Katy Perry^[36] have all garnered minor press attention. She later said that making fun of other pop stars was a result of a lack of confidence, saying "I felt like 'Oh God, I'm short, fat, ugly and I hate all these people who flaunt their beauty.'"^[37] On 28 June 2007, Allen was arrested in London for allegedly assaulting photographer Kevin Rush while she was leaving a nightclub in London's West End. Prior to this, she had expressed discomfort with attention from the paparazzi on her MySpace blog.^[38] By February 2009 she had stopped addressing controversies about herself on her blog because she found it "boring when people just pick stuff up and write about it. People get hurt, people get upset."^[39] In September 2009, she shut down her MySpace account and stopped social networking completely in December due to the abuse she was taking.^[40]

Allen signed a one series contract to present her own BBC Three TV show entitled Lily Allen and Friends based on the social networking phenomenon that helped to launch her music career.^[41][42][43] Guests included Mark Ronson, Joanna Page, James Corden, Lauren Laverne, Roisin Murphy, Louis Walsh, and Danny Dyer.^[44][45] The show received a 2% share of the total multi-channel audience share despite a high-profile nationwide marketing campaign.^[46] Allen was quoted in a British tabloid as rating the show "probably five out of 10" and said "I made a lot of money out of it".^[47] Citing Allen's rapid development as a TV host and her popularity among its target audience BBC Three announced it was renewing Lily Allen and Friends for a second season.^[48] BBC Three controller Danny Cohen later said that the show will not air in the Spring of 2009 as originally scheduled because of music commitments.^[49]

Allen performed at a benefit concert for War Child, an international child protection agency that works with children affected by war. Backed by Keane, Allen sang "Smile" and "Everybody’s Changing".^[50] Although the singer is a staunch supporter of the Labour Party,^[51] she has been credited with helping inspire a parliamentary rebellion against Prime Minister Gordon Brown when she wrote to all Members of Parliament asking them to back an amendment to an energy bill.^[52] She has since confirmed her support for the UK Labour Party and for Prime Minister Gordon Brown in particular.^[53]

[edit] 2008–09: It's Not Me, It's You

After the release of her first album, her parent record company, EMI, was taken over by Terra Firma.^[54] She also changed her management company from Empire Artist Management to Twenty-First Artists, although her core team remained in place. At the urging of her record company, Allen tried unsuccessfully to create the album with several writers and producers. Allen eventually returned to Greg Kurstin who had written three songs for Alright, Still.^[15] The album was produced by Kurstin at Eagle Rock Studios in Los Angeles.^[55] Before returning to Kus, Allen co-wrote the songs for the album with Kurstin who played piano on it. This is a change from her earlier work in which she wrote lyrics for finished tracks.^[56] Allen released a statement saying "We decided to try and make bigger sounding, more ethereal songs, real songs ... I wanted to work with one person from start to finish to make it one body of work. I wanted it to feel like it had some sort of integrity. I think I've grown up a bit as a person and I hope it reflects that."^[55] She posted two new song demos on her MySpace page and planned to release a mixtape to give her fans an idea of what the new direction was.^{[57][58][59][60][61][62]}

Allen cancelled a scheduled appearance at the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival telling festival promoter John Giddings the reason for the cancellation was that her album was behind schedule. Giddings said that the reason given was not acceptable and possibly a lie. Giddings decided not to sue her.^[63] Photos of her drunk and topless in the Cannes Film Festival were also widely covered in the press.^[64][65] Her appearance at the 2008 Glamour Awards also generated criticism, as she showed up intoxicated wearing a dress covered in decapitated Bambi figures, and had an on-stage, expletive-laced exchange with Elton John.^[66][67][68] On 29 June 2008, Allen performed at the Glastonbury Festival alongside producer Mark Ronson. An emotional Allen dedicated her performance of "Littlest Things" to her grandmother who died the night before.^[69] It's Not Me, It's You was first scheduled for an early 2008 release, but her miscarriage and creative issues delayed the release date to the autumn. During autumn 2008, EMI was undergoing restructuring. Due to this environment, a decision was made to move the album's eventual release date.^[26][70] An online game, Escape the Fear, was created by Matmi as part of the viral marketing campaign targeted at people unaware of Allen or the album.^[71] Since its release, "The Game" has topped the worldwide viral charts three times, including the week of Christmas—a highly contested time of the year. By 18 February 2009, "The Game" had been played over two million times.^[72] The singer and The Clash guitarist Mick Jones performed The Clash’s song "Straight to Hell" on an album for the charity Heroes.^[73]

Performing at the INmusic festival in Zagreb, Croatia, 24 June 2009

It's Not Me, It's You was released in February 2009. It debuted at the number 1 position in the UK, Canada, and Australia and the number 5 position in the United States.^{[74][75][55][76][77]} The album has been certified platinum in the United Kingdom.^[78] The release of the album was a factor in EMI’s more than trebling its earnings.^[79] The first single from the album, "The Fear", was number 1 for the first four weeks in the UK after its release.^[80][81] The second single released from the album, "Not Fair", reached the number 9 position.^[82] She began her It's Not Me, It's You World Tour in March, touring throughout the next two years until September 2010. Her work on this album with Greg Kurstin earned her the Songwriters of the Year at the 2010 Ivor Novello Awards. In addition, she won with Kurstin Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Most Performed Work for "The Fear". Allen appeared overwhelmed by this recognition from what she considered "real awards".^[83] In October 2010, Allen won her second BMI Pop Song Award by the United States music licensing organization Broadcast Music Incorporated for extensive United States radio airplay of her song, "The Fear".^[84][85] Allen has been named the face of the National Portrait Gallery as part of the gallery's marketing campaign.^[86] The picture was photographed by Nadav Kander emblazoned with the words, "Vocalist, Lyricist, Florist" .^[87] Allen and Jamie Hince, guitarist for The Kills, raised £48,350 for the children’s charity The Hoping Foundation. The pair sang "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" at a karaoke auction fundraiser.^[88] Karl Lagerfeld, the head designer for Chanel personally hired and photographed Allen for a campaign to promote a luxury line of handbags due to launch in September 2009.^[89][90]

In May 2009, French football magazine So Foot published a fake interview in which Allen was quoted as making derogatory remarks about David and Victoria Beckham and Ashley and Cheryl Cole. Some of the material was reprinted in the British tabloid The Sun. Both publications later apologized and paid damages to Allen.^[91]

2009–12: Musical hiatus, marriage and motherhood[link]

Allen began dating Sam Cooper, the owner of a building company, in the summer of 2009. In September 2009, Allen announced that she was considering a career in acting and that she would not renew her record contract. Allen additionally stated that she has "no plans" to make another record.^[92]

After the British government's plans to implement a three strikes policy for file sharing copyright infringement, Lily Allen came out in support for disconnecting repeat offenders.^[93][94] Creating a blog entitled "It's Not Alright" against file sharing, it subsequently came to light that she had copied text directly from the Techdirt website of an interview with 50 Cent, without attribution.^[95] This led to an exchange on the Internet, which culminated in accusations being made that Allen had infringed on other artists' copyrights by creating mix tapes early in her career, that she then made available via her website.^[96][97] A group of supporters of filesharing launched a denial of service attack dubbed Operation Payback that shut down Allen's website and targeted other critics.^[98]

On 1 October 2009, Allen and several other musicians released the world's first digital musical petition aimed at pressuring world leaders attending the December 2009 climate change summit in Copenhagen. The petition included a cover of the song "Beds are Burning" by Midnight Oil.^[99] She featured on the UK top five single, "Just Be Good to Green" by Professor Green in June 2010.

In August she began a musical hiatus following a performance at the Big Chill Festival in Herefordshire, England.^[100] On 5 August 2010, Allen announced that she was pregnant with her and Cooper's first child,^[101] later confirmed to be a boy^[102] due early in 2011.^[103] Allen and her sister opened their own clothing store entitled "Lucy in Disguise" on 15 September 2010. Allen's pregnancy involved early complications, including "about a week and a half of really heavy bleeding."^[104] Six months into her pregnancy, Allen contracted a viral infection which caused her to suffer a pre-term delivery.^[105] On 6 November, Allen was rushed to the hospital, where she responded well to treatment for the blood poisoning condition septicaemia.^[106][107]

Citing invasion of privacy and copyright infringement, in November 2010 Allen took legal action against Associated Newspapers, the parent company of the Daily Mail after the Daily Mail published photographs of Allen's home.^[108] Allen and Cooper became engaged over the Christmas holidays in December 2010 while vacationing in Bali.^[109] In January 2011, Allen launched her own record label In the Name Of, financially backed by Sony Music. The first act signed to the label was New York noise pop duo Cults.^[7] In February 2011, Allen started penning songs for the musical version of Bridget Jones's Diary which is scheduled to open in London's West End in 2012.^[110] Allen and Cooper wed on 11 June 2011 at St. James church in Cranham, Gloucestershire, England. The designer of Allen's wedding dress confirmed she was several months pregnant on the wedding day.^[111] Allen gave birth to a daughter, Ethel Mary,^[112] on 25 November 2011.^[113][114]

2012–present: Third studio album[link]

On 8 April 2012, it was reported that Allen was planning a musical comeback. Wanting to record a third album later this year and release as early as next year.^{[115][116][117]}

Artistry[link]

Musical style[link]

	"LDN" noicon The first song released as a single, featuring ska influence and a sample of "Reggae Merengue."
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Allen's early released songs saw her take on a thick Cockney accent while singing against retro productions.^[26] Her music was used as part of an exhibition at the British Library tracing the history of Cockney English.^[118] Her songs also featured other elements, such as the ska influence on second single, "LDN". She was also noted for her liberal use of crude words in her lyrics.^[119] Allen has said she cringes now when listening to tracks from Alright, Still, as it reminds her that she was a "sort of over-excitable teenager who desperately wanted attention" when she wrote it.^[15] Wanting to move on from the retro sound that many other artists had adapted since her debut, Allen ventured in a new direction sonically and lyrically in her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You. "The Fear", the first single from the album, is an electro-pop track denouncing consumerism.^{[120][121][122]} While Allen did not set out to make a revolutionary record, her new music direction and willingness to write lyrics that tackled less common subjects were lauded by critics.^[77][123] Allen's song Who'd Have Known was sampled in T-Pain's single 5 O'clock because of her accent.^[124][125]

Discography[link]

• Alright, Still (2006)
• It's Not Me, It's You (2009)

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lily Allen

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lily Allen

• Official website
• Lily Cooper on Twitter
• Lily Allen at the Internet Movie Database
• Wilson, Beth. Smile: The Story of Lily Allen. Omnibus Press, 2010. ISBN 978-1-84938-061-4

Allen Iverson

Free Agent
Point guard / Shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1975-06-07) June 7, 1975 (age 37) Hampton, Virginia
Nationality	American
High school	Bethel (Hampton, Virginia)
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
College	Georgetown (1993-1996)
NBA Draft	1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Pro career	1996–present
Career history
1996–2006	Philadelphia 76ers
2006–2008	Denver Nuggets
2008–2009	Detroit Pistons
2009	Memphis Grizzlies
2009–2010	Philadelphia 76ers
2010–2011	Beşiktaş (Turkey)
Career highlights and awards
NBA Most Valuable Player (2001) NBA Rookie of the Year (1997) 11× NBA All-Star (2000–2010) 4× NBA scoring champion (1999, 2001–2002, 2005) 3× NBA steals leader (2001–2003) 3× All-NBA First Team (1999, 2001, 2005) 3× All-NBA Second Team (2000, 2002–2003) All-NBA Third Team (2006) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1997) 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2001, 2005)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Allen Ezail Iverson (born June 7, 1975) is an American professional basketball player, playing both the point guard and shooting guard positions. Iverson attended Bethel High School and was a dual-sport athlete; he earned The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both football and basketball, and won the Division AAA Virginia State Championship in both sports.^[1] After high school, Iverson attended Georgetown University for two years, where he set the school record for career scoring average (22.9 points per game) and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years.^[2]

Following two successful years at Georgetown, Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA Draft, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick.^[3] He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. Iverson is an eleven-time NBA All-Star which includes winning the All-Star MVP award in 2001 and 2005.

Winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2004–05 seasons, Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, despite his small stature (listed at 6 feet, 0 inches). His regular season career scoring average of 26.7 points per game ranks sixth all-time, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan. Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season and led his team to the 2001 NBA Finals the same season. Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. He also played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and the Memphis Grizzlies, before returning to the 76ers for part of the 2009–10 season.

He was rated the fifth greatest NBA shooting guard of all time by ESPN in 2008.^[4]

Early life[link]

Allen Iverson was born to his single 15-year old mother, Ann Iverson, in Hampton, Virginia, and was given his mother's maiden name after his father Allen Broughton left her.^[5]

Allen attended Bethel High School, where started as quarterback for the school football team,^[6] while also playing running back, kick returner and defensive back.^[7] and started as point guard for the school basketball team. During his junior year, Allen was able to lead both teams to Virginia state championships, as well as earning The Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both sports.^[8]

On February 14, 1993, Iverson and several of his friends became involved in an altercation with a group of white teenagers at the Circle Lanes bowling alley in Hampton, Virginia. Allegedly, Iverson's crowd was raucous and had to be asked to quiet down several times, and eventually a shouting duel began with another group of youths. Shortly thereafter, a huge fight erupted, pitting the white crowd against the blacks. During the fight, Iverson allegedly struck a woman in the head with a chair. He, along with three of his friends who are also black, were the only people arrested. Iverson, who was 17 at the time, was convicted as an adult of the felony charge of maiming by mob, a rarely used Virginia statute that was designed to combat lynching.^[9] Iverson and his supporters maintained his innocence, claiming that he left the alley as soon as the trouble began. Iverson said, "For me to be in a bowling alley where everybody in the whole place know who I am and be crackin' people upside the head with chairs and think nothin' gonna happen? That's crazy! And what kind of a man would I be to hit a girl in the head with a damn chair? I rather have 'em say I hit a man with a chair, not no damn woman."^[10]

Iverson drew a 15-year prison sentence, with 10 years suspended. After Iverson spent four months at Newport News City Farm, a correctional facility in Newport News, Virginia, he was granted clemency by Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder, and the Virginia Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 1995 for insufficient evidence.^[10] This incident and its impact on the community is explored in the documentary film No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson. Iverson said of his time in prison, "I had to use the whole jail situation as something positive. Going to jail, someone sees something weak in you, they'll exploit it. I never showed any weakness. I just kept going strong until I came out."^[10]

The prison sentence forced him to complete his senior year of high school at Richard Milburn High School, a school for at-risk students, instead of competing in sports at Bethel.^[10] However, the three years Iverson spent there were enough to convince famed Georgetown University Coach John Thompson to come out and meet Iverson, and offer him a full scholarship to join the Georgetown Hoyas basketball team.^[10]

College basketball[link]

Though Georgetown typically recruited defensive-oriented big men such as Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Iverson's future teammate Dikembe Mutombo with full scholarships, Coach John Thompson felt Iverson deserved a second chance after his time in prison and could not pass up the opportunity to recruit a talent like Iverson's.^[10] Iverson kept up the Georgetown tradition of defense by averaging three steals per game and winning the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award in both of his two years at the University.

In his first season at Georgetown, Iverson won the Big East Rookie of the Year award and was named to the All Rookie Tournament First Team.^[11] That season, Iverson led the Hoyas to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, where they would lose to North Carolina.^[12]

In his second (and final) season at Georgetown, Iverson would lead the team to a Big East Championship and all the way to the Elite 8 round of the NCAA tournament, where they would lose to the University of Massachusetts.^[13] He ended his college career as the Hoyas' all-time leader in career scoring average, at 22.9 points per game.^[2] Iverson would be named as a First Team All American.

Following the conclusion of his sophomore year, Iverson declared for the NBA Draft. He would be the first player to leave Georgetown early for the NBA under Coach Thompson.^[10]

Professional career[link]

Philadelphia 76ers[link]

Early Years (1996–2000)[link]

Allen Iverson as a member of the Sixers.

After two seasons at Georgetown, Iverson was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA Draft. Listed at just six feet tall, Iverson became the shortest first overall pick ever, in a league normally dominated by big men.

Coming to a Philadelphia team that had just finished the previous season at 18-64, Iverson was only able to help the Sixers to a 22–60 record.^[14] He was however, named the 1996 Rookie of the Year and was also a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team, after averaging 23.5 points per game, 7.5 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. Iverson continued to help the 76ers move forward the following season, as they improved nine games to finish 31-51.^[15]

The lockout-shortened 1998-1999 season would mark great improvement for the 76ers. Iverson averaged 26.8 points (which led the league, earning his first scoring title) and was named to his first All NBA first team. The Sixers finished the season at 28-22, earning Iverson his first trip to the playoffs.^[16] He started all ten playoff games and averaged 28.5 points per game despite being hampered by a number of nagging injuries. Iverson led the Sixers to an upset over the number two seeded Orlando Magic in four games, before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the second round in six games.^[17]

Prior to the next season, Iverson signed a six-year, $70 million contract extension.^[18] That year, the Sixers would continue to improve under Iverson's leadership, as they finished 49-33, once again qualifying for the playoffs (this time earning the fifth seed, one spot higher than the previous year's sixth seed).^[19] In the playoffs, Iverson averaged 26.2 points, 4.8 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Philadelphia would advance past the Charlotte Hornets in the opening round, but was eliminated by Indiana in the second round in six games for the second straight year.^[20]

That season, Iverson was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the first time of what would be 11 straight selections. He was the only player other than Shaquille O'Neal to receive a MVP vote that year. In the 2000 off-season, the 76ers actively tried to trade Iverson after his numerous disagreements with then-coach Larry Brown, and had agreed to terms with the Detroit Pistons before Matt Geiger, who was included in the deal, refused to forfeit his $5 million trade kicker.^[21] When it became apparent that Iverson would remain a member of the Sixers, Iverson and Brown put their differences aside to make another attempt at a NBA Championship.

MVP season and trip to the finals (2000–01)[link]

Allen Iverson attempting a free throw against the Lakers

During the 2000–01 season, Iverson led his team to wins in the first ten games of the season, and was named starter at the 2001 NBA All-Star Game, where he won the game MVP. The Sixers also posted a 56–26 record, the best in the Eastern Conference that season. He also averaged a then-career high 31.1 points, winning his second NBA scoring title in the process. Iverson won the NBA steals title at 2.5 a game. Iverson was named NBA Most Valuable Player; at 6 feet and 165 pounds, he became the shortest and lightest player to win the MVP award. He had 93 first-place votes out of a possible 124.^[22] He was also named to the All NBA First team for his accomplishments. In the playoffs, Iverson and the Sixers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the first round, before meeting Vince Carter-led Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Semifinals. The series went the full seven games. In the next round, the Sixers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, also in seven games, to advance to the 2001 NBA Finals against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, featuring the duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

Iverson led the Sixers to their first finals since their 1983 championship. In game one of the 2001 NBA Finals, Iverson scored a playoff high 48 points and beat the heavily favored Lakers 107–101; it was the Lakers' only playoff loss that year. In the game he notably stepped over Tyronn Lue after hitting a crucial shot.^[23] Iverson would go on to score 23, 35, 35, 37 in games 2–5, all losing efforts though the Sixers were not swept like many predicted. Iverson enjoyed his most successful season as an individual and as a member of the Sixers during the 2000–01 NBA season.

Iverson began using a basketball sleeve during this season during his recovery from bursitis in his right elbow.^[24] Other players, including Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant,^[25] have adopted the sleeves as well, as did fans who wore the sleeve as a fashion statement.^[26] Iverson continued wearing his sleeve long after his elbow had healed.^[25] Some believe that the sleeve improved Iverson's shooting ability, while Steven Kotler of Psychology Today suggested that the sleeve may act as a placebo to prevent future injuries.^[25]

Early Playoff Exits and Larry Brown's departure (2001–2003)[link]

Fresh off their trip to the Finals, Iverson and the Sixers entered the 2001-2002 season with high expectations, but were plagued by injuries, and only able to muster a 43-39 record to just sneak into the playoffs.^[27] Despite playing in only 60 games that season and being hampered by injuries, Iverson averaged 31.4 points per game to earn his second consecutive scoring title. The 76ers lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs 3-2 in the five game series. After the defeat, Brown criticized Iverson for missing team practices. Iverson responded by saying, "We're sitting here, I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're in here talking about practice,"^[28] and went on a rant that included the word "practice" over twenty times.^[29]

The 2002–2003 season started off poorly for the Sixers, who had just traded defensive-standout Dikembe Mutombo to New Jersey, and saw a decrease in both offensive and defensive production from Aaron McKie and Eric Snow, all three of whom were key components to their Finals appearance two years prior. Iverson would once again put up stellar scoring numbers (27.6 points per game) however, and the Sixers regrouped following the All-Star break to make the playoffs with a 48-34 record.^[30] They were able to defeat Baron Davis and the New Orleans Hornets in the opening round of the playoffs, before being eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in the second round after a 6-game series.

Allen Iverson and then-teammate John Salmons.

Head Coach Larry Brown left the 76ers in 2003, following the playoff loss. After his departure from the 76ers, both he and Iverson indicated that the two were on good terms and genuinely fond of one another.^{[Need quotation to verify]} Iverson later reunited with Brown when Iverson became a member and co-captain of the 2004 United States Olympic men's basketball team. In 2005, Iverson said that Brown was without a doubt "the best coach in the world".

Disappointment and frustration (2003–2006)[link]

Randy Ayers became the next coach of the 76ers, but failed to develop any chemistry with his players, and was fired following a 21–31 start to the season. During the latter part of the that season, Iverson bristled under the disciplinarian approach of the Sixers' interim head coach Chris Ford. This led to a number of contentious incidents, including Iverson being suspended for missing practice, fined for failing to notify Ford that he would not attend a game because he was sick, and refusing to play in a game because he felt "insulted" that Ford wanted Iverson to come off the bench as he worked his way back from an injury.^[31] Iverson missed a career-high 34 games in a disastrous season that saw the Sixers miss the postseason for the first time since the 1997 season.

The 2004-2005 season saw Iverson and the Sixers bounce back under the tutelage of new head coach Jim O'Brien, and additions of their first round draft pick Andre Iguodala, and All-Star forward Chris Webber who was acquired in a mid-season trade. A rejuvenated Iverson won his fourth NBA scoring title with 31 points and averaged 8 assists for the year, and helped the 76ers climb back into the postseason with a 43-49 record.^[32] They would go on to lose to the eventual NBA champion Detroit Pistons in the first round, who were led by Larry Brown. In the series, Iverson had three double-doubles, including a 37 point, 15 assist performance in Philadelphia's lone win of the series.

Despite O'Brien helping the team back into the postseason, disagreements with players and management led to his firing after just one season. He was replaced by Sixers' legend Maurice Cheeks, in a personnel move Iverson praised, as Cheeks had been an assistant coach with the team when they reached the finals in 2001.^[33] During the 2005–2006 season, Iverson averaged a career high 33.0 points per game. The Sixers however missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.

On April 18, 2006, Iverson and Chris Webber arrived late to the Sixers' fan appreciation night and home game finale. Players are expected to report 90 minutes before game time, but both Iverson and Webber arrived around tipoff. Coach Maurice Cheeks notified the media that neither would be playing and general manager Billy King announced that Iverson and Webber would be fined.^[34] During the 2006 off-season, trade rumors had Iverson going to Denver, Atlanta, or Boston. None of the deals were completed. Iverson had made it clear that he would like to stay a Sixer.^[35]

Iverson and the Sixers began the 2006-07 NBA season at 3-0 before stumbling out to a 5-10 record through 15 games.^[36] Following the disappointing start, Iverson reportedly demanded a trade from the Sixers (although he would deny that).^[37] As a result, Iverson was told he would not to play in any more games. During the following game against the Washington Wizards, which was televised nationally on ESPN, Sixers Chairman Ed Snider confirmed the trade rumors by stating "We're going to trade him. At a certain point, you have to come to grips with the fact that it's not working. He wants out and we're ready to accommodate him."^[38]

Iverson ended his 10-year Philadelphia tenure with the highest scoring average in team history (28.1), and is second all-time on the points list (19,583), and the Sixers did not win another playoff series after his departure until 2012.

Denver Nuggets (2006–2008)[link]

Allen Iverson during his tenure with the Nuggets

On December 19, 2006, the Philadelphia 76ers sent Iverson and forward Ivan McFarlin to the Denver Nuggets for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first-round picks in the 2007 NBA Draft. At the time of the trade, Iverson was the NBA's number two leading scorer with new teammate Carmelo Anthony being number one.^[39]

On December 23, 2006, Iverson played his first game for the Nuggets. He had 22 points and 10 assists in a losing effort to the Sacramento Kings.^[40] In Iverson's first year as a Nugget they made the playoffs. They won the first game and lost the next four to the San Antonio Spurs.^[41]

Iverson was fined $25,000 by the NBA for criticizing referee Steve Javie following a game between the Nuggets and Iverson's former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, played January 2, 2007. During the course of the game, Iverson committed two technical fouls and was ejected from the game. After the game, Iverson said, "I thought I got fouled on that play, and I said I thought that he was calling the game personal I should have known that I couldn't say anything anyway. It's been something personal with me and him since I got in the league. This was just the perfect game for him to try and make me look bad."^[42]

Former referee Tim Donaghy supported the claim that Javie had a longstanding hatred for Iverson in his book, Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal that Rocked the NBA, which a Florida business group published through a self-publishing arm of Amazon.com^[43] after it was dropped by a division of Random House, who cited liability issues after reviewing the manuscript.^[44]

In a December 2009 interview with 60 Minutes, Donaghy said he and fellow referees thought the punishment was too light. Before Iverson's Nuggets played the Utah Jazz on January 6, 2007, Donaghy said he and the two other officials working the game agreed not to give Iverson favorable calls as a way to "teach him a lesson". Iverson attempted 12 free throws, more than any other player on either team. On 12 drives to the basket, he drew five fouls, three of which Donaghy whistled himself, and did not receive a call on one play in which he was obviously fouled by Utah's Mehmet Okur.^[45]

Iverson returned to Philadelphia on March 19, 2008 to a sell-out crowd and received a standing ovation in a 115–113 loss.^[46]

Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies (2008–2009)[link]

Iverson, as a member of the Pistons, dribbling against DeShawn Stevenson.

On November 3, 2008, Iverson was dealt from the Denver Nuggets to the Detroit Pistons for guard Chauncey Billups, forward Antonio McDyess and center Cheikh Samb.^[47]

Iverson, who had worn a number 3 jersey his entire NBA career, switched to number 1 for the Pistons. The number 3 was being worn by Rodney Stuckey, and although Stuckey stated that he would be willing to give up the number, the NBA ruled that a change in numbers could not take place until after the season.^[48]

Iverson scored at least 24 in four of his first five games with Detroit (They won 3 of the 5),^[49] and would score 20 or more and 6 or more assists on a consistent basis, but as the season wore on he would lose playing time to Rodney Stuckey.

On April 3, 2009, it was announced by Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars that Iverson would not play the remainder of the 2008–09 season. Dumars cited Iverson's ongoing back injury as the reason for his deactivation, although two days prior Iverson stated publicly that he'd rather retire than be moved to the bench as Piston's coach Michael Curry had decided.^[50]

On September 10, 2009, Iverson signed a one-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.^[51] Iverson stated that "God chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career," and that "I feel that they are committed to developing a winner."^[52]

However, Iverson again expressed his displeasure at being a bench player,^[53] and left the team on November 7, 2009 for "personal reasons."^[54] On November 16, the Grizzlies announced the team terminated his contract by "mutual agreement".^[55] Iverson played three games for the Grizzlies.

Return to the 76ers (2009–2010)[link]

Iverson in December 2009, after his return to the 76ers.

On November 25, 2009, commentator Stephen A. Smith published on his blog a statement attributed to Iverson announcing plans for retirement, which also said, "I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level."^[56]

Less than a week later on November 30, Iverson and his representatives met with a Philadelphia 76ers delegation about returning to his former team,^[57] and accepted a contract offer two days later. General manager Ed Stefanski declined to go into the terms of the agreement, but an unnamed source told the Associated Press that Iverson agreed to a one-year non-guaranteed contract at the league minimum salary. Iverson would receive a prorated portion of the $1.3 million minimum salary for players with at least 10 years of experience, and the contract would become guaranteed for the remainder of the 2009-10 season if he remained on the roster on January 8, 2010.^[58] Stefanski said the team made the decision to pursue Iverson after starting guard Louis Williams suffered a broken jaw and was expected to miss at least 30 games.^[59]

On December 7, 2009, Iverson made his return to Philadelphia, garnering a thunderous ovation from the sold-out crowd, in a loss against his former team, the Denver Nuggets.^[60] He finished the game with 11 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and no turnovers.^[61] Iverson's first win in his return to Philadelphia came one week later, in a 20-point effort against the Golden State Warriors, ending the Sixers' 12-game losing streak. (which stood at 9 games before Iverson returned).^[62]

On February 22, 2010, Iverson left the 76ers indefinitely, citing the need to attend to his 4-year-old daughter Messiah's health issues.^[63] He had missed five games earlier in February and missed the All-Star Game after he was voted in as starter.^[64] On March 2, Ed Stefanski announced Iverson would not return to the 76ers for the rest of the season.^[65]

Beşiktaş Milangaz (2010)[link]

On October 26, 2010, Yahoo! Sports reported that Iverson agreed in principle to a two-year, $4 million net income contract with Beşiktaş Cola Turka (otherwise known as Beşiktaş Milangaz), a Turkish Basketball League team competing in the second-tier level of pan-European professional basketball, the Eurocup (the competition below the Turkish Airlines Euroleague level).^[66] The club announced the signing at a press conference in New York City, on October 29, 2010.^[67] Iverson made his debut for Beşiktaş 16 November 2010, in a Eurocup 91-94 loss to Serbian side Hemofarm. Iverson scored 15 points in 23 minutes.^[68]

Iverson returned to the United States in January 2011 for calf surgery.^[69][70]

International career[link]

Medal record
Men’s basketball
Competitor for  United States
Olympic Games
Bronze	2004 Athens	United States
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold	2003 San Juan	United States
Summer Universiade
Gold	1995 Fukuoka	United States

Iverson after a 2006 game with Barcelona

1995 World University Games[link]

Iverson was a member of the USA World University Games Team in Japan in 1995, that included future NBA stars Ray Allen and Tim Duncan, among others. Iverson led all USA players in scoring, assists and steals, averaging 16.7 points per game, 6.1 assists per game, and 2.9 steals per game. He helped lead the team to an undefeated record in route to a 141-81 victory over the host country, Japan, for the gold medal.^[71]

2003 FIBA Americas Championship[link]

Iverson was selected to be part of Team USA for the 2003 FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico in August of that year. USA had a perfect 10–0 record, and won the gold medal as well as qualifying for a berth in the 2004 Olympics. Iverson started all eight games that he played in, and was second on the team with 14.3 points per game, while also posting 3.8 assists per game, 2.5 rebounds per game, 1.6 steals per game, and shooting 56.2 percent (41–73 FGs) from the field, 53.6 percent (15–28 3pt FGs) from 3-point and 81.0 percent (17–21 FTs) from the foul line.^[72]

In the USA's 111–71 victory over Canada on August 25, he accounted for a USA Olympic Qualifying single game record 28 points and made a single game record seven 3-pointers. Playing just 23 minutes, he shot 10-for-13 overall, 7-for-8 from 3-point, 1-for-1 from the foul line and added three assists, three steals and one rebound. All seven of his 3-point field goals were made during the final 7:41 of the third quarter.^[73]

He finished the tournament ranked overall tied for 10th in scoring, tied for fourth in steals, fifth in 3-point percentage, tied for seventh in assists, and ninth in field goal percentage (.562). Iverson also missed the USA's final two games because of a sprained right thumb which was suffered in the first half of the August 28 Puerto Rico game. In a game against Puerto Rico, he recorded 9 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field overall, and added five assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes of action in the USA's 101–74 exhibition game victory on August 17 in New York. He was also named to the 2003 USA Senior National Team on April 29, 2003.

2004 Olympics[link]

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The team's performance at the Olympic Games, however, would ultimately prove to be a disappointment. During the exhibition period prior to the games, Iverson and LeBron James were benched for a game, for having arrived late at a practice session.^[74] The United States' team won a close game against Germany, which had failed to qualify for the Olympic competition. Iverson did succeed in keeping the game from going into overtime with a half-court shot in the closing seconds. Despite the win, the team continued to struggle. After losing to the Puerto Rican team during round robin play, they would ultimately win a bronze medal.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Playoffs[link]