A month after having “crossed” Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson would totally consolidate his future title of rookie of the year. How ? By scoring more than 200 points in five games.
The back of the Sixers started with 44 points in Chicago, then 40 against Atlanta, 44 points in Milwaukee, 50 points against Cleveland and finally 40 against Washington. One downside, however: no victory for Philadelphia…
The peak at 50 points (17/32 in shooting, 5/9 at 3-pts) against the Cavaliers, on April 12, 1997, remains his season record and a rare performance for a rookie. Since 1970, only three players have achieved such a performance in their first year: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (51 points in 1970), Iverson and Brandon Jennings (55 points in 2009).
That evening, “The Answer” became the second rookie in history to compile four straight games at 40 points, behind Wilt Chamberlain, who had climbed to five games. He will join his illustrious elder a few days later, for an overall performance of 43.6 points on average at 50% shooting success over eight days.
At the end of January 1960, “The Stilt” had averaged 46 points and 31 rebounds over five games before winning the rookie of the year and regular season MVP trophy!
