In the pantheon of greatest NBA players ever, there are guys we place above Steph Curry and Allen Iverson: LeBron James is one of them.
However, LeBron is a true student of the game and understands that Curry and Iverson have been influential on him, both in terms of the fans and the way he plays the game. LeBron and J.J. Redick talked about this in their new podcast, Mind the Game, and Reddick said that when he first came into the league coaches would retire starters if there was a 19-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but that is no longer the case. LeBron knows why.
“I think in 2008/09, when that little white f**k came into the league, it changed the whole narrative. He single-handedly changed the concept of ‘no advantage is safe.’ He’s like Pat Mahomes right now.”
LeBron James then talked about the influence of Iverson and Curry and why they are so similar.
“When it comes to influence, as long as I’ve been following the game … Steph and Allen Iverson are the two people who have most influenced our game as long as I’ve been watching and following it. They are six feet and six feet tall. Allen Iverson and Steph — they were so attainable and guys felt like they could be them. They were guys you didn’t count on, they were small in stature and they defied the odds.”
“AI, who had an incredible crossover, the pigtails, the arm sleeve-everybody wears an arm sleeve now because Allen Iverson did-and he goes into the trenches, he puts it over the big guys no matter what. And now there’s Steph, shooting over the Empire State Building. Those two are the two most influential players when you play, because of how they changed the game and the impact on the guys, they’re two guys you wanted to watch every single night.”
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