There are a lot of truly amazing players throughout the history of the NBA, but there are only a select group that truly changed the game. The Los Angeles Lakers have been fortunate enough to have some of those players in purple and gold such as Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James and Magic Johnson. But someone else in NBA history who doesn’t get as much credit for doing that is Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson.
The Hall of Fame guard was 6-feet tall at best, but during a time when small guards were always pigeonholed into a point guard role, Iverson would become one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the NBA. While the likes of Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard are more commonplace now, it was Iverson who laid the foundation of small guards being primary scorers.
This is something that LeBron feels Iverson should get more credit for. In the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, the Lakers star spoke on how Iverson would have been made a point guard in prior eras, but he was such a special scorer that the 76ers simply adjusted:
.@alleniverson helped redefine the way we look at scoring guards. pic.twitter.com/V6rsmPpJwf
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) May 20, 2025
Iverson was truly a player like no one else. Despite being the smallest person on the court, the heart he had was unbelievable. He was unstoppable as a scorer with one of the greatest crossovers the league has ever seen, and he would constantly attack the paint and get knocked down, but always get back up and play through any number of minor injuries as nothing could keep him down.
The 2001 season was his crowning moment as he won the NBA MVP award while leading the 76ers to the NBA Finals. While they would fall to Shaq, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, his performance in Game 1 of the series remains one of the most iconic of all-time, in particular his stepback fadeaway over Tyronn Lue, followed by the infamous step over his body.
James is a student of the game and is always looking to give proper credit where it is due and Iverson is one of those players that truly changed the game.
Lakers’ LeBron James gives update on recovery from knee injury
LeBron James is still dealing with the knee injury he suffered in the Lakers’ final game of the season, but things are getting better as his recovery moves forward.
The Lakers star said that his knee is a ‘hell of a lot better’ than it was initially while also adding that it has been very difficult for him not to be as active as he would like while the knee heals.
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