In 1996, rookie Allen Iverson put Michael Jordan on skates in one of the most iconic moments in NBA history.
The play, which has been dubbed ‘the crossover’ is one of Iverson’s career-defining moments and served as a taste of what would come for his NBA career.
At the time, the play was a pretty big deal given how good Jordan was and A.I. quickly found himself plastered all over SportsCenter the following morning. As Iverson would later reveal in a sit-down with Sports Center, he didn’t even know how big it was until way after the game was over.
“I remember it like it was yesterday, that it didn’t seem real. I’m looking at him like he was glowing, he was totally different than everybody else on the court. But once that ball went up in the air, everything went away. I used to tell my friends, family, and teammate that once I had an opportunity to play against him if he ever switched out on me or anything, I was gonna try my move. Then the opportunity presented itself, I came of the screen and I heard Phil Jackson tell him to get up on me. And the rest if history. I don’t even know what I did in the moment. Idk how big it was until afterwards when I went to a restaurant & saw it all over ESPN.”
Allen Iverson on crossing MJ over in 1996:
“I don’t even know what I did in the moment. Idk how big it was until afterwards when I went to a restaurant & saw it all over ESPN,” says @alleniverson.#BullsNation #BrotherlyLove pic.twitter.com/lskVvjr985
— Landon Buford (@LandonBuford) January 16, 2023
It was rare for anybody to put Jordan on the wrong end of a highlight, but Iverson managed to do it during his very first season in the league.
MJ Brought The Best Out Of Iverson
Both Iverson and Jordan were as fierce as competitors can come, but they had a deep-rooted respect that was mutually understood. In fact, Iverson credits MJ for being one of his greatest motivators growing up.
“I learned from Mike. I always looked at him like a superhero. That was my guy. The way he wore his wristband, the bald head. I used to like when he had that bald head with the goatee and the brace around his shin, on his calf. The man was my hero. I remember crying back when the Pistons used to beat on him. My mom had a TV sitting on a dresser, and I used to sit this close to the TV [puts his hand up to his face], know what I mean? “Back up before you go blind!” That’s how much I loved him. I wanted to be that close to him. He gave me the vision to be a basketball player.”
Allen Iverson, and many other young people in his time, grew up wanting to be like Mike. In Iverson’s case, however, he got to upstage him at his own game.
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