NBA fans will remember with a smile the late 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s, as they witnessed the career of a player who shined for his quality on the court with various teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets: Allen Iverson.

After playing at the collegiate level with Georgetown University, and despite the fact that during his 15-year career as a professional basketball player, 14 years in the United States, he never won an NBA title, Iverson's numbers and recognitions endorse him as one of the great stars of this league in recent times. 

In total, Allen Iverson's legacy includes more than 24,000 points scored, 3,394 rebounds and 5,624 assists. His individual recognitions range from being 4 times NBA scoring champion, 3 times steals leader, to being the league MVP in the 2001 season and 11 times All-Star.

Allen Iverson and his family's sacrifices to succeed in the NBA

In general, the only thing that is appreciated about successful athletes is the public side, that of triumphs and achievements. However, behind all that there are stories that are not known, mostly of effort to fulfill their dreams. Allen Iverson told what his mom had to do to support him to become an NBA star.

"When I was young, when I was going to the national tournament, 13 and under, AAU. I remember my mom got me the Revolutions, the Nike Revolutions. I was wearing, like, a size 7, and they only had an 8.5. I still wore them, that’s how bad I wanted them. My foot just moved around a whole bunch in them. I remember it vividly because our lights got turned off for her getting them for me. So shoutout to big mama.”, stated the former shooting guard to Complex Youtube Channel.

Allen Iverson's talent allowed him to go from having to make those sacrifices in order to shine in the NBA to earning lucrative contracts like the one he had during his time with the Denver Nuggets in which he pocketed more than $17 million per season, according to Hoops Hype.