Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 2016 inductee and Philadelphia 76ers all-time great guard Allen Iverson celebrated his 50th birthday on Saturday.
The former player posted a photo on Instagram to celebrate the milestone and thank everyone who wished him a happy birthday.
“Thank God for blessing me with another year,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank you to my family, friends (and) fans that ride with me through these turbulent times we all live in.
Iverson continued, “Thanks for all the Birthday wishes. Happy 50th to me.”
In the post’s comment section, multiple former and current NBA players, including Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, wished Iverson a happy birthday.
“HBD Bubba Chuck,” the 40-year-old wrote. "Love always champ! ð«¡ðð¾ð¤.”
James never got the chance to play alongside “The Answer.” However, he did get to play against him multiple times after starting his career on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003-10, and Iverson was on the 76ers from 1996-07.
They played against each other 18 times in total, with Iverson leading the series 10-8, according to LandofBasketball.com. In their first meeting on Nov. 15, 2003, James got the better of Iverson as a rookie by scoring 22 points to Iverson's 19.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23).
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23).
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
However, in a March 18, 2005, contest, Iverson scored 31 points to lead Philadelphia to a 93-81 victory against James, who only scored 16. Then, in an April 4, 2006, game, Iverson edged out James with 38 points, while James had 37 but helped his team pick up a 124-91 victory.
Despite the losing record, James averaged 28.6 points per game compared to Iverson’s 25.8 points through all of their games. Interestingly, none of those games occurred in the postseason, even though both All-Stars led their teams to the playoffs multiple times throughout their careers.