This week in Duke history: Cameron Indoor Stadium hosts NBA games

There’s a lot of great basketball players who have played games in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

But who knew theat list included Allen Iverson, the rest of his 2004 76ers team and many high school prospects?

This week in 2004, future NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala played his first preseason game in the NBA at Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the Sixers’ 114-107 exhibition win against the Washington Wizards. Why?

In 1993 and 2004, Duke basketball alumni organized NBA preseason games—in 1993, former Blue Devil assistant coach and then head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves Chuck Daly in a preseason game against the New Jersey Nets, and in 2004, then sixers general manager Billy King.

King also held training camps for the Sixers at Duke from 2003 to 2005 and 2007, and in 2013 as general manager of the Nets.

Times have changed, though. In addition to no preseason NBA games, Duke has also stopped hosting high school prospects.

During the 2000’s and through 2011, Duke hosted games featuring one of its commitments, though one of those recruits, Kris Humphries, eventually dropped. Duke also held the 2001 McDonald’s All-American game.

In total, these eventual Blue Devils played games at Duke while in high school: Daniel Ewing, Luol Deng, Patrick Davidson—a nuisance to Chris Paul—Nolan Smith, Mason Plumlee, Marshall Plumlee and Quinn Cook.

Along the way, those  future Blue Devils played against a number of eventual stars in the NBA at Cameron Indoor, including the following: Eddie Curry, David Lee, Charlie Villanueva, Humphries, O.J. Mayo, Patrick Patterson, Brandon Jennings and Brandon Knight.

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