7 Years After Confessing His Desire to Be ‘Like Mike,’ Allen Iverson Urges Fans to Respect Michael Jordan’s Legacy: “Don’t Play With His Name”

Philadelphia 76ers legend and 2001 MVP Allen Iverson recently took to Instagram to speak on behalf of Michael Jordan, and his legacy. Back in 2016, Allen Iverson had talked about how he looked up to MJ during his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech. The Answer had talked about the first time he met Mike, along with his lifelong desire to be like the Chicago Bulls legend.

Iverson had claimed that he did not think MJ was real, back when he first saw the 6-time champ:

“I remember the first time I played against him and I walked out on the court and I looked at him and for the first time in my life, a human being didn’t look real to me. I don’t know if y’all watched The Chappelle Show, but he talk about a certain incident where he seen somebody seeing Rick James. And I literally seen his aura. It looked like he was gone and I’m sitting there and I’m saying to myself, like, “Man, that’s Mike.” And I’m looking at him. I can’t stop looking at him. I’m looking at his shoes and I’m like, “Man, he got on the Jordans.” I mean, it was Mike. He was my idol. He was my hero.”

 

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That was in addition to him claiming that he wanted to “be like Mike” right from the start. Now, more than 7 years later, AI took to Instagram, talking about how fans tend to disrespect his unparalleled NBA legacy.

While it is unclear why The Answer took to Instagram, it might be related to the regular comparisons that are made between MJ and more modern greats. It seems as if Iverson himself is convinced that MJ is the GOAT. While that was evident from his HOF speech as well, the Instagram post painted a similar picture:

“On both ends too!! Please don’t play with his name.”

Iverson wants people to stop playing with Michael Jordan’s name and legacy and still holds the Bulls legend in the greatest of regard.

Allen Iverson claimed kids recognize him due to his iconic Michael Jordan crossover

While Iverson is a legend in his own right, his fame does not come close to that of MJ’s. As a matter of fact, it seems as if The Answer is still regularly recognized as the guy who crossed over MJ:

“It was definitely one of them. I didn’t really pay any attention to it until the aftermath of it all. You know what I mean? Once I got the response from everybody else worldwide. You know, how many times they showed it on ESPN and still today. Like little kids, 5 and 6 years old, come up to me and they don’t say, “Are you Allen Iverson.” They say, “Youre the guy that crossed up Michael Jordan.”

Iverson was obviously speaking about the iconic crossover that he pulled over MJ back during his rookie year. The skill had led to almost instantaneous attention for Iverson, who claimed that kids recognize him for only his skill, even today.