Allen Iverson credits Michael Jordan for inspiring him to achieve NBA’s most honorable award: - “I wanted to actually be like Mike”
Part of what makes Michael Jordan one of the greatest basketball players ever is that he brought the best out of other top players. Kobe Bryant always idolized the Chicago Bulls legend, and another Hall of Famer recently spoke about MJ's influence on him.
Despite only standing six-foot tall, Allen Iverson went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NBA. He played in just over 900 games across 14 years, averaging 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists.
Iverson's best season came in 2001, when he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals. On top of that impressive run, he took home the MVP award that year. During a recent appearance on the "Maxed Out Podcast," Iverson told Vernon Maxwell that Michael Jordan is the reason he pushed hard to become an elite talent.
"I never put nobody before Michael Jordan because of what Mike did for me," Iverson said. "I actually wanted to be like Mike.
"He's a big reason for me being the Hall of Fame basketball player that I was."
IVERSON: "I never put nobody before Michael Jordan because of what Mike did for me. I wanted to actually be like Mike...I never put nobody second, you know, besides Kobe."
Via @MaxedOutPodcast / @VernonMaxwell11
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Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson share iconic moment in history
Given that Michael Jordan was at the peak of his power when Allen Iverson's career began, it's no surprise that he drew influence from him. It's also worth noting that MJ is part of one of the biggest moments in Iverson's career.
During the 1996-97 season, the Chicago Bulls were fresh off winning a title and posting a record-setting 72-10 mark in the regular season. At that same time, the Philadelphia 76ers had just taken Allen Iverson with the first pick in the NBA draft.
On March 12, 1997, Iverson found himself squaring off against Jordan and the Bulls on his home floor. He took this as an opportunity to make a statement against "His Airness."
The Bulls won the game, but Iverson left his mark. He played 35 minutes and posted 37 points, two rebounds and four assists. Iverson's biggest highlight of the night came when he crossed over Jordan and connected on a foul-line jumper.
All these years later, this is still one of the first plays people bring up when they talk about Allen Iverson. Hearing how he thinks about Jordan now, it makes sense why he pushed so hard in this matchup. For him, it was about proving to one of the best that he belongs in this league.
Iverson later told Maxwell that in terms of all-time greats, it's MJ and Kobe and then everybody else.