There are many iconic moments that have taken place during the history of the league. But even among them, some moments stay fresh in our heads like they happened yesterday. One such moment is when a young Allen Iverson crossed over NBA legend Michael Jordan.
Playing against Jordan is a dream for many NBA players, but to gain the respect of MJ is an even bigger feat. AI certainly did that when he flaunted his skills against Jordan and sunk the shot.
But what is better than seeing NBA’s iconic moments? Well, seeing how other NBA greats react to them. The NBA YouTube channel recently posted the second part of NBA greats reacting to some of the most iconic NBA moments. In the video, the Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas shares his thoughts on Iverson crossing over Mike.
“When he came in with this crossover, no one has seen this type of crossover in the game before.”
(starts at 1:40)
The moment took place in 1997 when AI was in his rookie season and started to gather immense fan following around the league. Moreover, at that time, Jordan was not only the biggest NBA Athlete but also one of the best defenders in the league.
To pull off such an amazing move against him truly highlighted the fact that Iverson was there to stay in the league. MJ himself said that if he and AI were to face 1-on-1, Iverson would beat him on the perimeter.
Receiving such words of appraisal from Jordan is a dream of many players. Although the crossover became an iconic moment for fans to remember for years, for Iverson, not so much. He revealed that Michael Jordan is yet to forgive him for that crossover. Well, it seems like Jordan took it personally.
While Iverson was a great individual player, he never had much help around him. This is one of the biggest reasons why he never won an NBA Championship. And despite being one of the biggest talents that the NBA has ever seen, he had to retire from the league without getting a chance to ever lift the glorious Larry O’Brien trophy.
