Allen Iverson vs. Kyrie Irving has been a recurrent topic around the NBA in recent months. Both players have very good handles, can score at will, and every time they stepped on the court, they brought nothing but entertainment.
The debate about who is the best player between them has gotten hotter in recent times and plenty of players and analysts have given their opinions. Kevin Durant said in 2017 that for him, Irving was better than ‘The Answer’. Moreover, Steve Nash said the same, saying that his player was more talented than the Philadelphia 76ers legend.
Now, Stephen A. Smith has joined the conversation and he did acknowledge that Kyrie is great and a very talented player but he reminded everybody what AI did during his career and what he meant for the Sixers during his best days. When one journalist asked if Ky was already better than AI, Smith delivered a compelling reply.
“Better…..sure, skill-wise. Better handle. Better J. Hell, even a better scorer. But who’s more dependable? Who carried a franchise on his shoulders night-in + night-out? Who said, ‘Give it all to me’ then basically carried his team to the Finals by his damn self?”
Better…..sure, skill-wise. Better handle. Better J. Hell, even a better scorer. But who’s more dependable? Who carried a franchise on his shoulders night-in + night-out? Who said, ‘Give it all to me’ then basically carried his team to the Finals by his damn self? https://t.co/Cnr5kxUcWv
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 23, 2021
He said that Iverson was better for all the hard work he put for the Sixers but didn’t bring Kyrie down to make Allen shine, which is exactly what other people should do when making the case for one player or one team.
“We all know the answer…..is THE ANSWER. We can admit that while acknowledging Kyrie is spectacular.”
We all know the answer…..is THE ANSWER. We can admit that while acknowledging Kyrie is spectacular.
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 23, 2021
This must be the best response to this debate. We often see people missing the point when discussing what player is better than others and SAS couldn’t put it better. Iverson led his Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001 in a magical run but the fairy tale came to an end when Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant showed up, beating the point guard and his team in five games.
