Allen Iverson is one of the greatest players of all time. On the court, he brought a lot of swagger to the game, and it showed in both his playstyle and his demeanor. Culturally, Iverson inspired many smaller players with his ability to score, and his handles are highly regarded even today.
On the court, there’s no question that Allen Iverson had a killer mentality, and he was going out there to get buckets and embarrass opposing defenders. In a recent interview that Iverson did with Taylor Rooks, she referred to that mentality, mentioning that one of her favorite Iverson quotes was “I’m not a point guard, I’m a killer”. Rooks then asked Iverson to name his “Top 5 Killers” in the NBA today.
It was certainly a tough question, as there are a lot of players who Iverson could have picked from. However, Iverson did manage to come up with his list which featured Stephen Curry Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Bradley Beal. He and also ended up making a special shoutout to Damian Lillard claiming that “he’s not just a killer, he’s a serial killer”.
Steph Curry. Kevin Durant. James Harden… I know a lot of killers. Bradley Beal is a killer. Oh… Dame. Certified.
Dame’s just… he’s a monster with it. Steph is just bad as hell. But Dame just a whole rude motherf*cker. He just rude. He just disrespectful. He just do anything… I mean past half court he just let it fly. Buzzer-beaters at the hash. You know what I mean? No fair. He’s not just a killer, he’s a serial killer.
It’s easy to see how all of those players embody Iverson’s mentality: they’re all ruthless scorers who are just out there to try and dominate the opponent. All of these players are simply lethal, and there’s not much a defense can do to fully stop them.
Allen Iverson was one of those players that could simply will his team to victory, and it showed during his 2001 Finals run. His confidence never wavered, and he once claimed that he never wanted to form a superteam because it would have been “too easy for him”. Allen Iverson’s influence is shown in the modern-day “killers” that he just listed, and they are certainly showing how that mentality can pay dividends on the court.
