“Allen Iverson shot 24 times in the first half”: Chris Paul Recalls His “Welcome To The NBA” Moment When AI “Busted His A**”

Chris Paul

Chris Paul was introduced to the NBA in a striking way when he went up against Allen Iverson who torched him in a matchup in Philadelphia. 

Growing up, Chris Paul had always admired Allen Iverson and the work he had done in Philadelphia. He even used to rock AI’s braids in high school, showing just how much of an idol Iverson was to him.

It was also when Chris Paul matched up against the legendary shooting guard that Chris Paul was really introduced to the NBA. In an episode of ‘Knucleheads’, CP3 revealed that it was AI who really “bust his a**” when he arrived in the NBA.

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Allen Iverson Shot 24 Times On Chris Paul In The First Half

When Chris Paul was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005, he probably didn’t know how it would be like to face off against one of the game’s greatest players.

Not only that, but Iverson was also CP3’s idol, the person Paul looked up to so much when he was growing. To be able to suit up in an NBA game and play against him is a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So, how did their first meeting go? Not good for CP3. Iverson apparently ‘bust his a**’, and he shot 24 times on Paul in just the first half.

You can here him talk about this encounter on this episode of ‘Knuckleheads’ at around the 50 second mark of the video.

Well, is that really how that game went? Not exactly. Paul may have been exaggerating a little or he may have forgotten exactly which game he was talking about, but in CP3 and Allen Iverson’s first game against each other, on November 21st, 2005, AI took only 22 shots total for the game.

He did outscore Paul 24-9 as the 76ers won the game 103-91. In their second meeting, on December 2nd 2005, Allen Iverson attempted 26 shots and outscored CP3 once more, 34-16, but the Hornets got their revenge, winning 88-86.

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Post Edited By: Ashish Priyadarshi
Allen Iverson Basketball Chris Paul NBA New Orleans Hornets

About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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