Today in Philly Sports History: Iverson Scores 30 in Debut, 1996

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Selected with the #1 draft pick in 1996, Allen Iverson certainly did not shrink from the limelight upon his professional debut on November 1st, 1996. AI went 12 of 19 from the field that night under coach Johnny Davis's guidance, scoring 30 in all, to lead the Sixers in scoring in his first ever game under the Liberty franchise. Iverson's scoring was augmented by the performances by Derrick Coleman (25 points, 13 rebounds) and Jerry Stackhouse (14 points), but it wasn't enough to put away the Milwaukee Bucks, who got a contribution from old Iverson foe and fellow rookie Ray Allen (13 points) on the way to winning the first game of the season for either team, 111-103.

The rest of Iverson's rookie season went little better, as the team rounded out with a predictably terrible 22-60 record. Still, the seeds for the revitalization of the franchise, as well as one of the NBA's trademark superstars, was certainly being built. Here's a highlights version of AI's performance that night, the first of a near-countless number of classic shows that Iverson would put on in Philadelphia.

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