WHEREAS, Allen Ezail Iverson was born on June 7, 1975, in Hampton, Virginia to Ann Iverson; and

WHEREAS, Ann Iverson, a varsity basketball player at Bethel High School in Hampton in the 1970s, introduced her son to the game at the age of eight, teaching him ball handling, shooting, and the crossover dribble, a signature move he later used as a rookie to cross-up the great Michael Jordan; and

WHEREAS, Allen Iverson grew up in the Hampton Roads area and attended his mother’s alma mater, Bethel High School, where he led the Bruins football team and basketball team to state titles during his junior year; and

WHEREAS, Allen Iverson received the Virginia High School Player of the Year from the Associated Press for both football and basketball in 1993 and was named First-team All-American in basketball by Parade; and

WHEREAS, following high school, Allen Iverson showcased his stellar talent under Coach John Thompson at Georgetown University earning Big East Rookie of the Year in 1995, winning the Big East Conference Championship in 1996, and becoming known as “the Answer;” and

WHEREAS, Allen Iverson was the first overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA draft and earned Rookie of the Year honors in 1997; and

WHEREAS, Allen Iverson played 14 seasons in the NBA at both the shooting guard and point guard positions earning many accolades including 2001 League MVP, 4-time NBA scoring champion and All-NBA first team member, 11-time NBA All-Star, and 3-time NBA steals champion; and

WHEREAS, Allen Iverson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and recognized by the NBA as one of its all-time greatest players on the 75^th Anniversary Team in 2022; and

WHEREAS, Allen Iverson has made a major impact on the Hampton Roads community including a lasting investment in the youth of Newport News with a state-of-the-art basketball court for the Boys and Girls Club on Hampton Avenue and generously donating to Bethel High School; and

WHEREAS, to honor Virginia native Allen Iverson as one of the most iconic basketball players in NBA history, the Newport News City Council voted to rename a portion of 16^th Street to “Allen Iverson Way”;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize March 5, 2024, as ALLEN IVERSON DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.