Iverson became the shortest No. 1 pick in history because he played too strongly in college.

On May 20, in the long NBA draft history, height has never been the only yardstick for talent. On that star-studded draft night in 1996, when Allen Iverson, who was only 1.83 meters tall, was taken off by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 1 pick, the entire basketball world was shocked. This little man from Georgetown University completely overturned traditional basketball's superstition of height and became the shortest No. 1 pick in the league history with his devastating performance. His success is by no means accidental, but is based on his ultimate understanding of basketball, extraordinary physical fitness and an almost paranoid desire to win.

Iverson's basketball talent was already showing off his strength as early as high school. At Bethel High School in Hampton, he led both basketball and football teams to state championships, a rare bi-athletic athletic ability that heralded his unique physical condition. His vertical bounce reached an astonishing 1.14 meters, and his 100-meter speed was close to the level of a professional sprinter. These data even made many inside players over two meters tall out of reach. But what really made Iverson transform from a talented teenager to a top pick was his phenomenal performance in Georgetown University in the past two years. Under the system of famous coach John Thompson, Iverson perfectly integrates his personal abilities with team needs. He became the scoring champion of the Big East in his freshman season with an average of 20.4 points per game, and in his sophomore season, he even increased his data to a terrifying level of 25 points, 3.8 assists and 4.7 steals. His control over the game was astonishing—in the 1996 NCAA Championship against Mississippi State, he scored 30 points and sent seven steals, almost destroying his opponent's defensive system alone.

In the trial before the 1996 draft, Iverson dispelled all doubts with his actual performance. Facing the same high-profile talented players at the time such as Marcus Camby, Stephen Marbury and Ray Allen, he showed a crushing level of competitive state in the Chicago joint trial. According to the scout report at the time, the scene of Iverson passing three defenders in a row in confrontation training impressed all the general managers present. His directional change was so fast that a scout claimed that "the camera could not keep up with his movements." What's even more shocking is the physical test data: he can complete 12 times with an 84 kg bench press, which even exceeds many players in power forward position. Brad Greenberg, then general manager of the 76ers, wrote in his memoir: "When we see him hit consecutive jump shots in front of defensive expert Gary Payton, all the discussions about height become meaningless. "

Iverson's successful draft also contains a profound revolution in basketball philosophy. In the mid-1990s, the NBA was undergoing a period of transformation from "those who get inside win the world" to diversified development. Michael Jordan has proven that defenders can be the core of the team building, but the height of 1.98 meters is still regarded as the bottom line for the shooting guard. Iverson's appearance completely broke this fixed mindset, and he proved that on the basketball court, absolute speed, explosive power and ball quotient can completely make up for the lack of height. Georgetown University's tactical system provides him with a perfect display platform - the "four people pull apart, one-man singles" tactic designed by Coach Thompson, bringing Iverson's breakthrough ability to the extreme. In the 1995-96 season, he averaged 18.7 points per game through breakthroughs, a number that no one has ever broken in NCAA history. This style of playing with very modern basketball features has allowed NBA teams to see the direction of development in the next ten years.

Looking at from a historical perspective, Iverson's No. 1 pick marks the entry of a basketball sport into a new era. Before him, the recent situation was that Mitchell Thompson, who was 1.85 meters tall, became the No. 1 pick in 1978, but the latter relied more on his all-round striker skills than a pure point guard status. Iverson set a precedent for "little core" and directly affected the draft picks of players such as Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving. The 1996 draft was recognized as the most valuable class in NBA history, with 11 All-Star players including Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash emerging. Iverson stands out in such competitions, relying on his unforgettable performances from college: his tomahawk buckle against Villanova; his final-minute reversal of eight points; and his iron will of more than 40 minutes per game averaged throughout the season.

When the 76ers management finally made up their minds to choose Iverson with the No. 1 pick, they bought not only a player, but also an innovation in basketball concepts. Later stories proved the value of this choice - the rookie averaged 23.5 points per game in the rookie season, the best rookie; the third year of winning the score; in 2001, the single-core team led the team to the finals, scoring 48 points in front of the high-spirited OK combination... These seeds of achievements were planted as early as in the college game. Iverson declares to the world with his legendary experience: on the basketball court, height can be measured, but greatness cannot be calculated by size. The 1.83-meter-long boy from Georgetown, with his explosive breakthrough and never-give-up eyes, forever rewritten people's imagination of basketball players.