Getty Former Sixers Kyle Korver and Elton Brand battle during the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
Kyle Korver wasn’t guaranteed anything when the Philadelphia 76ers drafted him in 2003. The team needed to surround Allen Iverson with shooters and Korver filled that need. They invested the 51st overall pick in a three-point specialist from Creighton.
Korver — now an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets — wound up playing five seasons in Philly where he held up his end of the bargain. He saw action in 337 games (101 starts) for the Sixers while getting constant encouragement from Iverson, the future Hall of Famer who never acted aloof around Korver. He breathed confidence into the young sharpshooter.
“My first Iverson impression? AI was amazing to me,” Korver said on The Old Man & The Three podcast. “I was a second-round pick. I’m not guaranteed the first year or the second year, and what you need more than anything is just some confidence. Like to just believe that you belong on this court. And so we had no one else on the team who could shoot at all. And, for AI, like if you can’t shoot, why would I pass it to you?
“I’ll just shoot it, right? So he was like arm around me every day, saying ‘shoot the ball, shooters shoot the ball’ — just like breathing confidence into me. He’s a legend, right? He’s in another stratosphere. His legendary, iconic career and personality and image, and just to have that person with me, to encourage me, he was amazing for me.”
.@kylekorver shares the magic of @alleniverson and how The Answer helped him build the confidence he needed early in his career.
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Kyle Korver, JJ Redick Dish on Tough Philly Fans
Korver has nothing but fond memories from his days playing in front of Sixers fans. He knew the assignment and he accepted it. The Sixers were the first franchise to give the California native a chance to achieve his NBA dream, something he’ll never forget despite some turbulent times. He compared Philly to your “first love.”
“I think it took me a minute to understand the city. Like there’s this hard shell, you got to break through, to understand where this grit comes from,” Korver said. “But then you make friends in the city and you eventually get it. And you really appreciate it. It’s a city where when things are going great, it is awesome. When things are going bad, you don’t want to get gas.”
The only proof that Kyle Korver is 37 is this picture of him with Philly Allen Iverson
JJ Redick only got to experience the Philly faithful for two years, but he agreed with Korver’s assessment. He’s played in other cities — ones he refused to name — that didn’t care that much. The indifference was painfully tough.
“I would take Philly’s fan base over that [indifference] any day. I love the passion,” Redick said. “You have to be mentally tough to play there [in Philly]. You have to be. I could have dinner plans after a game — if I didn’t play well and we lost, I’m scrapping those plans. I’m grabbing whatever’s in the locker room, going back to my apartment, and keeping my a** at home. Now if I had a good game, it was fun.”
Twitter Celebrates Iverson’s 47th Birthday
Iverson celebrated his 47th birthday on June 7 to much fanfare as the tributes came pouring in on social media. The Sixers legend wished himself a happy birthday on Instagram while thanking his fans, family, and God for surviving all the “turbulent times.” Iverson is a forever icon in Philadelphia.