–What: Aaron Bracy’s book, Are You Kidding Me? The Incredible Inspiring Story of Allen Iverson and the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers (Brookline) is scheduled to be published on February 19, 2027.
Preorder here: Amazon, Big5Hoops, Barnes & Noble
–Cover:
–Book summary:
During the 2000–01 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, Allen Iverson and the 76ers captured the hearts and minds of sports fans in Philadelphia and nationwide with a hustling, underdog style of play. Iverson, one of the league’s top scorers in spite of being one of its shortest players, became a generational basketball superstar and cultural icon with a captivating persona—both on and off the court. At times, he clashed with legendary Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown, especially early in their tenure together in Philadelphia. But the duo overcame their differences, and the 76ers surmounted many challenges to reach the 2001 NBA Finals against Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and the ultimately too-powerful Los Angeles Lakers.
This book details the people and personalities who were part of one of the most memorable seasons in Philadelphia sports history, including coaches, players, management, opponents, and many others. How did Brown brilliantly sculpt a team of blue collar, role players who were willing to do all of the dirty work without any of the glory around the offensively gifted, but, at times, rebellious Iverson? After nearly being traded prior to the 2000–01 season, how did Iverson make changes, on and off the court, to finally fit into Brown’s system? Why did sports fans, both in Philadelphia and around the country, fall in love with this team—and stay in love with them all these years later?
Deeply reported and researched and featuring interviews with more than 50 people, this book sheds light on the 2000–01 Philadelphia 76ers in a way that has never been done before. It is an inspiring reminder of the great lengths that effort, determination, and teamwork can take you, and once again will have readers broadly smiling and loudly chanting, “LET’S! GO! SIX-ERS!”
–About the Author:
Aaron Bracy is an award-winning sportswriter with 30 years of experience as a sports journalist in the Philadelphia market, beginning as an undergraduate at Saint Joseph’s University, where he wrote for the student newspaper and broadcast games on the student radio station. He then covered high school, college, and professional sports for the Main Line Times, Trenton Times, Courier–Post, and The Trentonian before leaving journalism full time for a career in education.
Since 2008, Bracy has been a freelancer for the Associated Press’s coverage of the Philadelphia 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies, and college basketball. His website, Big5Hoops.com, is a leading source for coverage of Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph’s, Temple, and Villanova, which comprise the Big 5. Are You Kidding Me? The Incredible, Inspiring Story of Allen Iverson and the 2001 Philadelphia 76ers (Brookline) is Bracy’s second book. His first book, A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003–04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (Brookline), was published in March 2025.
