Allen Iverson Wears His Heart on His Sleeve as LeBron James’ Praise Receives Emotional Response

LeBron James and JJ Redick might have single-handedly changed the trend of the podcast culture in basketball. While most of the shows speak about throwbacks, modern NBA, etc., the duo went a step ahead to share a detailed analysis of the game. This new approach is being highly appreciated, but like every other podcast, the ‘Mind the Game’ had a segment where James took a moment to appreciate greatness. 

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar believes only two players after Michael Jordan have influenced the game on a high scale. One is James’s popular rival, Stephen Curry and the other one is ‘The Answer’, aka, Allen Iverson. The scoring leader shared in the podcast, “Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I’ve been watching and covering…They were so relatable…Kids felt like they could be them.” This unexpected praise got Iverson’s attention. 

The Philadelphia 76ers legend loved that LBJ took the time to showcase Iverson’s greatness on the very first episode of his podcast. In a reply to the 39-year-old’s remarks, Iverson shared on his Instagram, “It’s a honor for you to feel this way. Love you Lil Bro! Feels good to get the flowers while you can still smell them”. It looks like ‘The King‘s appreciation came at the right time for Iverson. 

LeBron James’s praise did not end with this. He also explained how Iverson influenced the young generation. We all know that A.I. was famous for bringing style into the game, but ‘The King’ shared another aspect that made the 2001 MVP more relatable back then. 

LeBron James puts Allen Iverson’s stature on the pedestal

A.I. was one of the first few to break the myth that short players are mostly role players. The offense always ran through the point guards, but the contribution through points was mostly by a tall center or an athletic forward. However, when it came to Iverson, he did it all on the offense. From ball handling to scoring to play-making, the 6ft guard was all over the court. The notable part here is that he was mostly the shortest player on the court. James believes this is the aspect that the fans could relate to back then. 

The 4x champion shared, “They [Iverson and Curry] were small in stature and they just defied the odds. So you got A.I. who’s like, unbelievable crossover, cornrows, arm sleeve. Everyone wears an arm sleeve now because of Allen Iverson. And, he’s going in the trenches, you know, laying it up over the bigs.” This gave confidence to young guards at high schools and colleges back then to not matter about their height. A.I. made it clear that anyone could score, and that’s why he was one of the most influential players. 

Read More: LeBron James Etched Allen Iverson Tribute on His Skin, Reveals Undying Honor With Bold Claim