Allen Iverson is the personification of the word ‘tough’. Standing at just 6’1″, ‘ the Answer, as many Philadelphia fans called him, was an icon and legend in the NBA. Even though Iverson did well at Georgetown, during his university days, he was a rather unknown player in the NBA when he entered in 1996. He caught international fame after the 76ers legend crossed up the great Michael Jordan.
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Ironically enough, Jordan was his idol, but that didn’t stop Iverson from trying to embarrass him. Talking about the same during an episode of ‘The Dan Patrick Show’, Iverson recalled,
“I had got guys way worse than that. But it was just the fact that it was ‘him’. The crazy part about it, is he still almost blocked it…that’s how tough he was and that’s how great he was.”
During the same episode, Iverson revealed that he didn’t quite understand the magnitude of his actions when he crossed up Jordan. In fact, it was only after the game that Iverson realized what he had just accomplished. The rookie Iverson became a nightmare for most guards around the league, as even a young Kobe believed Iverson to be “too much” to handle.
But in true Jordan fashion, MJ remembered that Iverson had crossed him up during their first meeting. Iverson even exchanged some friendly banter with ‘Jordan’ during a Charlotte game many years later. As things stand, it seems that Jordan hasn’t taken Iverson crossing him up “too personally”.
Allen Iverson is remembered as the guy who crossed up Jordan
It was on March 12th, 1997, when rookie Allen Iverson crossed up his idol in front of millions of spectators. Almost three decades later, Iverson is still remembered as the guy who had a crossover on Michael Jordan. While on the ‘Stephen Colbert Show’, Iverson revealed that the new generation of hoppers recognizes him for his ‘iconic moments’ more so than his entire body of work.
Talking about the same, Iverson told his host,
“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.”
Even though Iverson publically embarrassed ‘MJ’, his respect for Jordan never quite dwindled. In 2016, during his Hall Of Fame Enshrinement, Iverson gave Jordan his ‘flowers’ as he recalled his dream of being ‘Like Mike’.
In fact, Iverson, even to this day, publicly defends his ‘idol’. With comparisons between Jordan and other players running rampant, Iverson is clear on his pick for the GOAT debate. He recently even called for the disrespect towards Jordan to stop, as he believes that Jordan was the best to do it, on both ends of the floor.
Even with Iverson making it clear that Jordan is his ‘hero’, the competition between them doesn’t seem to end. With Iverson now joining on as Vice-President of Adidas Basketball, the 76’ers legend has once again been pitched against Jordan (Jordan has a lifetime collaboration with Nike), but it’s not on the hardwood but on the sneaker market.
