Anybody Else Find Allen Iverson's Name Here Weird ......

[memo]

you don't even have an argument.

wiki is a good source of info, stop that.

 

[wavy bone]

you don't even have an argument.

Oh...but I do.

Can you answer the question please?

he may have wanted to win one, but looking at his stats and from what I read he didn't care enough

Do you understand what this comment makes you look like?

 

[iamyourfather]

a.i had every kid from 96 forward at the playground tryna master that cross over. 

ai cross over>>>>>>>

 

[Pathos]

 shut up

 

[memo]

Oh...but I do.
Can you answer the question please?
Do you understand what this comment makes you look like?

He didn't improve his flaws and was selfish, which is something Jordan and LeBron did, because they cared enough. Same thing that happened to AI is going to happen to Melo.  

Allen Iverson is undoubtedly one of the greatest scorers of all-time. A player averaging 26.7 for his career is extraordinary. Iverson was also considered to be the face of the NBA a decade ago. However, Iverson had many flaws in his game which media and fans did not want to recognize.

Although Iverson was a great scorer looking at his points per game average, he was not a very efficient player. The Answer shot a poor 0.425 field goal percentage in his career. It implies that his shot selection was poor, and he was a selfish player. Do not consider his assists averages, since it is normal for a player that loves to dominate the ball to get decent assist averages, which was Iverson’s case.

A lot of Iverson fans love to bring up his success in 2001 when debating about how overrated he was. Iverson’s 2001 was very successful, no doubt. He carried his team to the Finals and won the MVP. However, after his successful 2001 campaign, he only led his team past the first-round once.

Iverson had the chance to play with a young superstar in Carmelo Anthony, and that experiment failed. Despite having a great supporting cast in Denver, the Nuggets failed to make it past the first round the two years Iverson has played for Denver. Also, in the 2007 playoffs, Iverson shot an atrocious 37 percent from the field.

To make matters worse, the Denver Nuggets have made it to the Western Conference Finals the very year they had traded Iverson.

Once Iverson arrived to the Detroit Pistons—the mighty Pistons—who made the Eastern Conference Finals from 2002 to 2008, they were quickly transformed to a first-round team.

Iverson’s me-first attitude also cost the US team in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Iverson was the one who took the most shots and shot a terrible percentage. Iverson failed his team in an era when the US team had a dominating team on paper compared to other nations.

The Answer also clashed with many of his coaches and has had numerous controversial off-the- court incidents.

Iverson might be one of the most skilled individual players of all-time. When it came to showmanship, the Answer was a master. His trademark killer crossover was imitated by many kids at local courts. Although Iverson was a great showman and a great individual player, he had to be one of the worst team players of all-time.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/853888-was-allen-iverson-the-most-overrated-player-of-all-time

 

[blakep267]

as people have said, I think its mainly because AI was just cool as hell. Jordan wa a great player, but I dont think he was really cool, if that makes sense. Iverson had the braids, the baggy clothes + jerseys, tats, crappy rapper( but still a rapper), IDGAF attitude, had dope sneakers etc. You get the point. He was like a trendsetter in the nBA. People started rocking tats ( crazy like all over tats), arm sleeves, he rocked the tights under the shorts ( which everybody jacked until Stern banned them). He was just a cool guy in the eyes of the youth. Where as Kobe was a square

 

[bleach]

"Struggle"? Really, you gonna take that route? Any "struggle" that this guy went through and apparently deserves to make him a top 5 most beloved athlete EVER is a five star hotel compared to what Jackie Robinson went through.
In fact, several basketball players have had tougher lives than him. I know that for example Ben Wallace did. He had a much tougher life as well as basketball career than Allen Iverson. Ben was the tenth of 11 children and his family were sharecroppers. He went to a second division college, was undrafted and had to switch teams several times. 8 years later he was the backbone of a championship team, something that Allen Iverson's high FGA, low FG% playing style which gave him the nickname The Canswer never allowed him to be.
And for the record, Tim Hardaway was doing crossovers, which were better than Iverson's BTW, when Iverson was some snot nosed kid.

there was the whole being born to a 15 year old mother thing, and not knowing his father.

and almost being locked up for 15 years

 

[jusbekicks]

they will always have the film when he crossed mike #justsaying........... btw he one of the best point guards of all time only him and Lebron went to the finals by themselves #neverforgotten

 

[pepperjackchees]

The way he almost beat the unstoppable Lakers in 2001 by himself is something I will never forget. Back when I used to read SLAM magazine, I remember reading that he admitted to swallowing his own blood so the coaching staff wouldn't see and sub him out. 

 

[Hank Scorpio]

I was never a big fan of Iverson, but he was THE man, post-Jordan.

Obviously, Kobe was the better player. But no one can deny the influence Iverson had. The headband, cornrows, arm sleeve, tights underneath shorts and everyone wanting to cross people up--Came from Iverson. Dude was the originator and pioneer of the culture we have today in the NBA. He made it okay to be hood on the basketball court.

 

[hankmoody]

No, don't really want to argue but I don't get that. I don't see the things that he supposedly changed in the league - what is different now that wasn't possible 10 years ago? Little guys scoring? - Isaiah (amongst others) did that first.
I just don't see it - he was a good player, but I don't get what was so revolutionary about him - and I certainly wouldn't admire him - he was genuinely gifted but isn't someone I would pattern my game or life after.

Does anyone have a counterargument to any of this? Specifically, I would like to hear why he had a Jordanesque impact on the game and how I could see said impact's evolution in today's pro game.

 

[jhawk826]

When you use Bleacher Report as a source for anything sports related, your opinion is immediately invalidated. The "author" blames Iverson for costing USA the gold when that could be attributed to Larry Brown and a team that wasn't compatible to begin with. The Pistons were already past their prime when Iverson joined the team and the rest of the team led by Rip Hamilton made the situation even worse by undermining the coach's authority.

That blog post is a joke and from you using stats to back up your argument and not knowing what position he played, you clearly weren't old enough to remember him playing. You stat junkies are the worst as they don't tell the story. He was the offense for that team for many years. You know why they never got past the first round after the 01 run? The FO could never put talent around him except a washed up Chris Webber. Kobe (for a stretch) and T-Mac couldn't get out of the first round because of that as well.

I don't see how you can undermine Iverson's struggle coming up because it wasn't as hard as someone else's. Being born to a teen mother who would eventually become a drug addict is a struggle. Having to cop drugs for your mother is a struggle. If you don't like Iverson, just say so, but don't insult him like that.

 

[dmxfury]

as people have said, I think its mainly because AI was just cool as hell. Jordan wa a great player, but I dont think he was really cool, if that makes sense. Iverson had the braids, the baggy clothes + jerseys, tats, crappy rapper( but still a rapper), IDGAF attitude, had dope sneakers etc. You get the point. He was like a trendsetter in the nBA. People started rocking tats ( crazy like all over tats), arm sleeves, he rocked the tights under the shorts ( which everybody jacked until Stern banned them). He was just a cool guy in the eyes of the youth. Where as Kobe was a square

The Answer was certaintly cool as hell....but don't think for a moment Jordan wasn't also b.a.

 

[equality]

"Struggle"? Really, you gonna take that route? Any "struggle" that this guy went through and apparently deserves to make him a top 5 most beloved athlete EVER is a five star hotel compared to what Jackie Robinson went through.
In fact, several basketball players have had tougher lives than him. I know that for example Ben Wallace did. He had a much tougher life as well as basketball career than Allen Iverson. Ben was the tenth of 11 children and his family were sharecroppers. He went to a second division college, was undrafted and had to switch teams several times. 8 years later he was the backbone of a championship team, something that Allen Iverson's high FGA, low FG% playing style which gave him the nickname The Canswer never allowed him to be.
And for the record, Tim Hardaway was doing crossovers, which were better than Iverson's BTW, when Iverson was some snot nosed kid.

shut up. just shut up.

 

[freakydestroyer]

Blaming AI for the 2004 US Team not winning gold at the 2004 olympics??

 

[truthgetsbusy]

Does anyone have a counterargument to any of this? Specifically, I would like to hear why he had a Jordanesque impact on the game and how I could see said impact's evolution in today's pro game.

I did on the previous page

 

[obeahmyal7]

Some of you have conflated the questions and the issues at stake.Was AI, post-MJ,  one of the best guards to play the game? No question.

Was AI one of the most admired athletes (Family Feud question)? The answer is debatable but I think its safe to say that more than anything, millions of people worldwide admired AI's heart. 

The problem with this discussion is that DC has moved us away from the original question related to sports towards culture and social influence. DC, I take issue with your vague argument that AI inspired black males to stand up to the figures that be. But what, exactly, is the nature of this defiant stance? In what ways might an "anti-practice" stance produce negative consequences for those allegedly inspired by AI? To whom or what have black males confronted? 

You tell us that Iverson inspired black males to be comfortable in their own skin. Well, that's not entirely accurate. After all, AI was tatted up. If you mean to be comfortable in defining one's identity based on the excessive commodities hanging around your neck and wrists, I see that as a sense of hollowness rooted in material excess. 

But I really take issue with you claiming that only those who "understand the struggle" (again, assumed and ill defined) can recognize that AI was a "social" inspiration. What struggle(s) are we talking about? About incarceration? Did AI ever vocalize the need to, say, reform the Rockefeller drug laws? In what ways was AI conscious of this  struggle? 

The issue is not whether AI was an inspiration. He was. The more difficult question is to what extent AI exacerbated the myriad of problems facing black youth today.  

 

[mitchellicious]

as I've gotten older I kind of have realized that he was never really that good, had no business winning that MVP award either but still doesn't take away the childhood memories.

Lol what?!

 

[truthgetsbusy]

Some of you have conflated the questions and the issues at stake.Was AI, post-MJ,  one of the best guards to play the game? No question.
Was AI one of the most admired athletes (Family Feud question)? The answer is debatable but I think its safe to say that more than anything, millions of people worldwide admired AI's heart. 

The problem with this discussion is that DC has moved us away from the original question related to sports towards culture and social influence. DC, I take issue with your vague argument that AI inspired black males to stand up to the figures that be. But what, exactly, is the nature of this defiant stance? In what ways might an "anti-practice" stance produce negative consequences for those allegedly inspired by AI? To whom or what have black males confronted? 

You tell us that Iverson inspired black males to be comfortable in their own skin. Well, that's not entirely accurate. After all, AI was tatted up. If you mean to be comfortable in defining one's identity based on the excessive commodities hanging around your neck and wrists, I see that as a sense of hollowness rooted in material excess. 

But I really take issue with you claiming that only those who "understand the struggle" (again, assumed and ill defined) can recognize that AI was a "social" inspiration. What struggle(s) are we talking about? About incarceration? Did AI ever vocalize the need to, say, reform the Rockefeller drug laws? In what ways was AI conscious of this  struggle? 

The issue is not whether AI was an inspiration. He was. The more difficult question is to what extent AI exacerbated the myriad of problems facing black youth today.  

 

[AZwildcats]

One of my favorite athletes of any sport. What I would do to get a pair of these again

 

[obeahmyal7]

Truth...as long as i've been on this board (lurking) I've always known you for someone to provide an insightful post. A photo of AI in response is not one of your finest moments. 

 

[defobking]

aside from the racial/social aspect i believe ai also inspired short/average height dudes tat they have a chance to make it in the game

 

[freakydestroyer]

aside from the racial/social aspect i believe ai also inspired short/average height dudes tat they have a chance to make it in the game

That is part of the reason. But I think more importantly, he carried himself as a regular dude. Just about anyone can relate to him more than they can with the other guys in the NBA.

 

[youngtriz]

One of my favorite athletes of any sport. What I would do to get a pair of these again

they just dropped a couple months ago... too bad they are going for way too much now... these are coming out, not sure the date though

 

[longstroke]

Him inspiring young black males to stand up to the figures that be.
Him inspiring young black males to be comfortable in their own skin and not feeling like they have to change their image to appease the word.
Him inspiring young black males to be themselves.
Socially is what we are speaking of. Not changing the game style wise like KG.

He single-handedly got every kid to work on his crossover once he shook MJ. Not TOO surprised but I see your point...it's easy to question when you're seeing his impact on the game from hindsight

Yerp.
I hate to use this word because at 22 i consider myself a grown man, but Iverson personified the word SWAG. The baggy uniform, the rows, the handles, his attitude, just everything about him screamed im a cool *** dude and i dont give a **** what you think about me. It was and still is SO appreciated. And dude was just amazing to watch on the court. I got to see him play live and up close ONE TIME at the Fleet Center (TD/Boston Garden) when he was still in in Philly for the first time and it was so dope

1st player to really rock long hair
1st player to wear the sleeve on one arm
one of the 1st players to be covered in tattoos
brought that raw hood street ball style to the NBA
wasnt he one of the 1st players to rock the baggy low NBA game shorts and jersey?
look at todays NBA you will see 90% Iverson influenced stuff

"New verses crush the hood like i'm driving into somethin',
females on the kid like i'm iverson a sum'n..." - Drake
A.I. was that guy. Everybody wanted to be like him. His name up there isn't weird at all. He's A.I. The boy is iconic. Ballers dressed like him on the court from the sleeves to the braides, females loved him, he had the bad boy image, went hand in hand with America's biggest genre (Hip-Hop) and he produced like very few did in the history of the L.
And he did all of that at 6'0 155.

aside from the racial/social aspect i believe ai also inspired short/average height dudes tat they have a chance to make it in the game

I must say, initially I came on to ridicule most of these posts above, as I was an adult when AI came into the league. I didn't like his game, but loved his athleticism.

I hated the fact that he was credited for making the crossover popular, when people were using it for years, especially with Pearl Washington doing his thing at the Big East tournament, putting the move on that showcase with Tim Hardaway admittedly being influenced by that exhibition, then putting to use in the NBA.

What Iverson did make popular, are all of the things that are wrong with today's NBA, leading to the stereotypical imagery of young black males, athletes in general.

Behaving in such a stereotypical fashion, is quite disadvantageous for anyone. I can point to several heroes of that generation, which includes Mike Tyson, Tupac, and the early Micheal Vick, which shows that the impact of undisciplined behaviours, doesn't necessarily lead to a POSITIVE outcome, nor influences. 

It's not that one should conform to societal norms, it's that if you are going to go up against the system, do it so that those who follow behind you can BENEFIT from your example.

Muhammad Ali.

The Greatest is the standard bearer.

I don't think that you cats are doing AI any favors, by suggesting that he has had a positive influence on those who needed it most, especially in American society.

Like with Mike Tyson, I am waiting to see what Iverson's second act will be.

I hope that it wont be as equally embarrassing.