“There aren’t a lot of people that have had a bigger influence in my life than AI.” Jamal Crawford has on many occasions accepted how enamored he was by Allen Iverson. Time and again, many NBA players have credited the 14-season veteran for being responsible for a massive cultural shift. From his braids, and shooter sleeve, to tattoos covering both arms, there was none better than Iverson. So when Crawford faced ‘Bubba Chuck’ for the first time, it was surreal.

“My mom would say I had 35 pictures of cutouts from like Slam Magazine on my wall of him. So I’m just staring at him, how small he is I’m like there’s no way this dude is just dominating like this.” Jamal Crawford said via ‘Run Your Race’, “And I’m thin, he’s thinner than me like 5’11 and can’t nobody guard him.”

Allen Iverson might be small, but he had the creativity, plus his infamous left-to-right crossover was killing everybody. Also, he was successful enough to deceive Michael Jordan with that move. Yes, the 2001 MVP pulled it off against MJ, but likes to credit the GOAT for almost blocking it. “How great he is, he still almost blocked it, and I got him good.”

In 1997, the 3x Sixth Man of the Year watched AI at work for the first time. At the time, Crawford was just 17 and Allen Iverson was a rookie. Attending the game as a fan, he also got his ticket stub autographed, and another NBA veteran had to return empty-handed. Will Conroy was attending the game with Crawford, since both of them loved Bubba Chuck.

What made the difference in AI’s ability was self-belief, which Crawford tried to put in words, “He was so at peace, and so free, and so electric like he can make your fans his fans. So he was the first, I was like, oh my God.” But being an influence in the league with strict rules wasn’t easy.

To put things in perspective, AI paid $87,500 in fines during his career in the NBA. Yet, those fines were never a problem since current stars fondly remember Allen Iverson’s influence.

Allen Iverson and his cultural impact

Apart from the player turned analyst, Crawford, current superstars of the game too were grateful for AI’s contribution. “Yeah, I was a big fan of Allen Iverson. He wore sleeves. He was kind of the original guy to wear arm sleeves,” the New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson said in 2023. “I used to go to my mom’s sock drawer and cut her socks and wear them as arm sleeves. The worst part about it, I would only do it like around the house. I actually had an arm sleeve for like basketball. She wasn’t too happy about that either.”

The Knicks captain was high on the AI train, similar to LeBron James. The Lakers superstar put Allen Iverson and Stephen Curry in the same bracket in terms of their influence. “Allen Iverson and Steph, they were just so relatable, and kids felt like they could be them.” Jeff Teague even stated that Bubba Chuck’s hold on the league was so big that everybody started having tattoos, arm sleeves, and braids.

Speaking about the influence, Allen Iverson agreed that his fashion was only to inspire the kids from the neighborhood. People like LeBron James and Stephen Curry actually crediting AI’s impact is just wonderful to see. Plus, the dream come true moment for a lifelong fan like Jamal Crawford to witness Allen Iverson on the court is genuinely heartwarming.

“Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.”