LeBron James hails Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson as the most influential players he has seen since he started watching the NBA.
LeBron James has seen a fair bit of basketball over the course of his life, which has now spanned over 39 years. In all that time, two players have stood out to him as the most influential, Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson.
LeBron James: “I believe in 08/09 or whenever that little light skin f***er came in the league that’s in Golden State, he changed that whole narrative. He single-handedly changed the ‘no lead is safe’ (narrative)… Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I’ve been watching and covering it… Allen Iverson and Steph, they were just so relatable and kids felt like they could be them. They were guys that were not always counted on, they were small in stature.”
James, who was speaking on his Mind the Game podcast, said both Iverson and Curry defied the odds and explained just how influential they became.
LeBron James: “You got AI who’s like unbelievable crossover, cornrows, arm sleeve. Everyone wears arm sleeves now because of Allen Iverson and he’s going in the trenches, laying it up over bigs whatever the case may be. And now you have Steph who’s shooting over the Empire State Building. Those two are the two most influential when you say the game, how they changed the game and the kids and those are two guys that you want to watch every single night.”
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There is no denying that Curry and Iverson are two of the most influential players in NBA history. In a more modern context, they might just be the most influential ones.
As James pointed out, Iverson was the one who made it fashionable to wear arm sleeves and have cornrows. He blended hip-hop and sports culture and created a blueprint of sorts for today’s players. JJ Redick said he has an arm sleeve because of Iverson while James stated one of his tattoos is in his honor.
As for Iverson’s play on the court, he was a very relatable superstar because he was this 6’0″ guard, who was dominating a game full of men much bigger and taller than him. Curry is doing the same now, but just in a different way.
While Iverson was all about attacking the basket, the Golden State Warriors superstar dominates on the court with his shooting prowess. Much like Iverson, he is also so relatable and we now see kids everywhere jacking up shots from way behind the arc. Curry has changed the game forever, whether some basketball purists like it or not.
Stephen A. Smith’s List Of The Five Most Influential Players Ever
Stephen A. Smith once tried his hand at making a list of the most influential players, but unlike LeBron, he even included those whom he didn’t see in action. Here is who Smith considers to be the five most influential players of all time.
“I want to put Allen Iverson as an honorable mention. Let’s go to number 5 on the list, the great Bill Russell, the champion personified, 11 championships in 13 years.”
“Number 4 on the list, Steph Curry… the greatest shooter that god has ever created.”
“I wouldn’t put him top 3 though. I got give it to this man right here, the great one himself, King James, LeBron James. “
“Aint top two though, this would be top 2, Earvin Magic Johnson. Saved the game of basketball with him and Larry Bird.”
“It would be this man right here. We’re talking about the man primary responsible for the sport going global. If not for Michael Jeffrey Jordan, the sport, its global impact, iconic global brand that is, would not have been.”
Smith interestingly chose to leave Iverson off his top five, which was surprising. He also made a compelling argument for Michael Jordan to be regarded as the most influential player. There is no denying the massive role he played in the sport going global and I certainly wouldn’t say he is undeserving of the title of the most influential.
