NBA: Revisiting the 3 best ‘what ifs’ in league history
Biggest ‘what ifs’ in NBA history: What if AI and Dirk teamed up?
The 1998 draft wasn’t full of all-time NBA talent by any means, but it did include the likes of Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, and Dirk Nowitzki. In fact, one change in this draft could have changed a lot in the history books.
With the 8th pick in the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers, who already had a rising star in Allen Iverson, drafted Larry Hughes out of Saint Louis. The following pick would be Nowitzki, who would go on to win an NBA championship, a 12-time All-Star, and arguably the greatest international player in NBA history.
But what if Philly took Dirk with that pick instead?
Iverson is regarded as pound for pound, one of the most exciting players in the league’s history. One thing people use to try and discredit him, however, is the fact that he never won an NBA championship. Nowitzki would have been the best player Iverson played with, and his ability to space the floor would’ve complimented Iverson’s tenacity to attack the rim very well.
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Even if the Sixers made it to only that same finals appearance with Iverson in 2001, where they lost to Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers in five games, Nowitzki, who averaged nearly 22 points per game that season, would have given Iverson and the Sixers a much better opportunity to compete with that dominate Lakers dynasty.