Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Iverson’s influence on the NBA is immeasurable

By Matty Breisch

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Being a social media manager is hard.

Finding a way to be constantly engaging in new, fun, and creative ways is a tricky thing, especially in a landscape as polarized as sports, so it’s understandable that even the biggest brands out there are going to slip up from time to time.

But what Sportscenter decided to pull by sharing @HoopMixOnly‘s ‘4 most influential players of the last 30 years’ is truly a bad look no matter how you cut it up – especially when one of the show’s hosts, Kevin Negandhi, is a true blue Philly fan who got his degree from Temple.

Now to be fair, coming up with any definitive Rushmore is virtually impossible. Personal biases will always come in, and certain players – like Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Charles Barkley – will surely fall through the cracks. With that being said, how on earth would anyone, even the most Warriors-y Warriors fans of all Warriors time genuinely think Seth Curry is a more influential player than ‘The Answer, A.I., Bubba Chuck, Jewelz, The Third Degree’ himself, Allen Iverson?

Allen Iverson changed the NBA – and the Philadelphia 76ers – forever.

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When the Philadelphia 76ers selected Georgetown point guard Allen Iverson first overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, it was not a particularly hard decision.

Sure, some pointed to issues in Iverson’s past as a potential red flag, but the then-21-year-old was considered as close to a consensus number one pick as any player since the Shaq sweepstakes in 1992.

In two seasons under legendary head coach John Thompson, Iverson averaged 23 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.2(!) steals a game in roughly 32.5 minutes of action a night. He started all but one of his 67 games, could drop double-digit points in his sleep, and already possessed the showstopping handles that would one day make Tyronn Lue a meme.

You can’t even say the term ‘Step Over’ anymore without thinking of that Sixers-Lakers game and the shocked look on the face of the Los Angeles Clippers’ coach.

Redefining norms is kind of a thing Iverson did a lot during his 14 year NBA career. He defined an era of Sixers basketball where the team switched from their red, white, and blues to a hip-hop-inspired black and gold color scheme, he ushered in an era of tattoos and dreads that clearly influenced the looks of players like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and even caused the league to create a league-wide dress code to try to combat his instantly recognizable style – a style that would go on to influence the fashion-obsession we see in the NBA right now.

My goodness, AI even redefined the word ‘practice‘ in what may be the most quotable sports rant of all time.

While Iverson’s on-court game didn’t necessarily change the way basketball is played in the same way as Curry’s limited range 3 point shot – though, one could argue players like Ray Allen did it first – that has more to do with the sheer uniqueness of AI. He was always the fastest player on the court, was always on the lookout for an opportunity to pick an opponent’s pocket, and could dunk despite being three feet shorter than the basket.

LeBron James once called Iverson ‘Pound for Pound, the Greatest Player Ever’ and honestly, he very well may be right, as Bleacher Report attempted to prove here.

Next. Matisse Thybulle is making defense fun again. dark

Throw all of that, plus a still thriving signature shoe line, a plethora of celebrity appearances, and an ever-expanding catalog of self-referential commercials, and it’s pretty hard to argue that Allen Iverson is anything less than one of the four most influential players of the last 30 years, in NBA history as a whole, and in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers. I mean, come on, when long-time Boston Celtic Isaiah Thomas wants to vouch for it, it must be true.