The Philadelphia 76ers were a top team in the NBA during the early 2000s. Allen Iverson starred for the 76ers during that time and led them to the 2001 NBA Finals. One teammate that helped him a lot during his time in Philadelphia was Aaron McKie. McKie was never the top player on his team, but he knew how to play his role, and he was productive on the court.

He spent 13 seasons in the NBA and played for four different teams. After he retired from the league, he became a coach, where he still makes an impact on the game.

Aaron McKie was a standout in college before entering the NBA

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Before he became an NBA player, McKie starred in college. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native stayed in-state to play college basketball. He decided to attend Temple University. McKie finished his career tied for sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,650 points. During his three-year career at Temple, he averaged 17.9 points and started all 92 games he played in. 

McKie was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year during his junior year after averaging 20.6 points. At Temple, he was teammates with future NBA All-Star Eddie Jones. After his career at Temple, McKie was the 17th overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. McKie played for Portland from 1994 to 1997. During the middle of the 1996-97 season, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons. 

After a brief stint in Detroit, he joined the 76ers, where he spent most of his career. McKie had a lot of success playing in his hometown. He primarily came off the bench playing for the 76ers, and during the 2000-01 season, he was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year. McKie was the backup guard to Allen Iverson and Eric Snow, and he did start some games during his career. He was a part of the 76ers team that reached the 2001 NBA Finals against the LA Lakers. During the series, McKie started all five games and averaged eight points, six assists, and 5.4 rebounds.

After spending eight seasons in Philadelphia, he finished his career with the Lakers. McKie averaged 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists during his career. 

Allen Iverson enjoyed playing with Aaron McKie

Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie were teammates together in Philadelphia for multiple years. Iverson was the star during his time with the 76ers, but he knew he would not have had the success he had if it wasn’t for his teammates. During Iverson’s retirement ceremony in 2013, he acknowledged his teammates. “Without my teammates none of this, the accomplishments I have had in my career, they would not have happened without those guys,” Iverson said. “Those guys set screens for me, they played hard for me and they were with me the whole way in allowing me to become a household name.”

One teammate that Iverson enjoyed playing with was McKie. “He helped me so much in my career,” Iverson said about McKie. “I talk about the mistakes that I made in my career. I made a million of them, but if it weren’t for Aaron McKie I would have made two million of them. He is just somebody I always listened to and could talk to about anything.”

Iverson has a lot of respect for McKie, and he was someone that helped him out a lot throughout his career. McKie made a name for himself throughout his time in the NBA, and although he was never a top player, he made an impact.

Aaron McKie is now making an impact as a coach

After his playing career ended in 2007, McKie joined the coaching staff for the 76ers. He served as an assistant coach for the 76ers from 2008 to 2013. After serving on the 76ers coaching staff, he returned to his alma mater and served as an assistant coach for Temple from 2014 to 2019. In 2019, Temple announced that McKie would replace Fran Dunphy as the head coach of the men’s basketball team at the start of the 2019 season.

During the 2019-20 season, Temple finished the season with a 14-17 record and a 6-12 record in conference play. Temple has yet to play a game during the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. They have had several games canceled/postponed, and their first game is scheduled for Dec. 22 against Houston. McKie has a passion for basketball, and he has a lot of basketball experience.