NBA Draft: Every team’s best pick ever

Jun 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) speaks to the media during a press conference after game four of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Warriors won 108-97. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

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Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson makes a point during the NBA Europe Live Tour presented by EA Sports on October 11, 2006 at the Kölnarena in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Mansoor Ahmed/Getty Images) /

Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Iverson, No. 1, 1996 NBA Draft

If the question is “Which player is the 76ers’ best draft pick ever,” the answer has to be Allen Iverson. The legendary point guard spent 12 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers after being selected with the first overall pick in the 1996 draft. Iverson led the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2000, their first appearance in the Finals since 1983. Iverson scored 48 points in a win over the Lakers, the only game the Lakers lost in the postseason that year. Over the span of a decade from 1998-2008, he led the league in minutes per game seven different times.

His time with the team was full of highs and lows, and came to an end with a trade of the franchise guard to the Denver Nuggets in 2006. His legacy has taken a hit in recent years, in large part because of the league’s present focus on efficiency (never really Iverson’s thing). Still, Iverson is first in 76ers team history in points per game, and while other players hold the lead in other categories, no player has had a bigger impact on the team in recent history than Allen Iverson.

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