From day one in the NBA, Allen Iverson stood out. He took the league by storm in 1996, creating his own brand and persona as an athlete with his tattoos, cornrows, and unapologetic swagger. He made it clear that he wasn’t trying to fit the clean-cut image the league preferred. Fans, especially younger ones, saw him as someone real — a baller who looked and acted just like them.
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Even Iverson admired Michael Jordan, but he wasn’t trying to be him. Where MJ was polished, AI was raw and fearless. He brought hip-hop culture right onto the court and didn’t care who was uncomfortable with it.
His Airness may have won more NBA titles, but Iverson changed what it meant to be a superstar, proving you could do it your own way and still be great. Rising stars of today, like Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards, lean closer to Iverson than to Jordan. At least, that’s what Richard Jefferson believes.
The 2016 NBA champion spoke about AI’s counter-culture presence and how important it was for the league. “There was a counter-culture going on. There was a push back of MJs and the OGs all in suits,” said Jefferson.
“And who showed up? Allen Iverson. He’s like, ‘I don’t want to be the face. Practice? Naw I’m hoopin. I’m doing it the way I want to do it, and I don’t care.’ We love AI for that,” he added.
Iverson’s popularity hit the league like a hurricane no one saw coming. But RJ’s point wasn’t to talk down on the 76ers icon. It was to highlight how Ant-Man and Ja are cut from the same cloth.
“So what I see now from Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards is more Allen Iverson. That’s the energy I see from them, so I don’t fault them. I’ve seen it before,” Jefferson said.
Edwards and Morant’s approach, like Iverson’s, may not see them winning many rings. All the more if a competitive Kobe Bryant-type player comes along and starts taking all the titles away from them.
“Somebody is going to come along. The Kobe Bryant is going to come along. And the Allen Iverson that was talking about practice, all of a sudden, Kobe got 5 championships. That dude that’s gonna come along, the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, that dude is gonna come along and is like, ‘Y’all can hoop. I’m going to play this game. I’m going to play this NBA game.’ That’s the difference,” predicted Jefferson.
Jefferson acknowledged that Ja or Edwards could win multiple titles, but NBA history shows competitors win over hoopers.
“We don’t see hoopers, the Ja Morant, the AI, win four or five championships. They hoop. They are natural ballers. The guys who are ultra-over the top professionals and locked in. The Wembys, the Jayson Tatums. Those are the dudes historically that win,” added Jefferson.
AI’s impact is evident all over today’s game, especially when you watch guys like Ja and Ant. They play with that same fearless swagger and don’t care about fitting into anyone’s mold. That’s pure Iverson energy.
These are hoopers who move to their own rhythm and bring the crowd with them. They might not rack up rings like Kobe or Jordan, but their influence and style make the game a whole lot more fun to watch.
The good news for the Grizzlies’ and the Wolves’ stars, though, is that they still have time to write the legacy they want.
