Allen Iverson was a terrific player. One of the most talented ballers that ever stepped foot on an NBA court; his pace, skills and talent to score made him a real threat for anybody guarding him. AI didn’t win a ‘ship in his career but he made sure to give his everything every time he played and gave fans a lot of things to remember about him.
Just like he created good memories for fans, he was a complete nightmare for rivals. Former Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas recently talked about Iverson on the Fubo Sports Podcast, remembering the times they played against each other and how complicated it was to guard the Philadelphia 76ers legend. Arenas made it clear that Iverson was the toughest player he had to guard in his career.
“I always say Allen was like that white boy player in high-school that played balls hard. He is playing 150 miles per hour the whole time. Him getting a steal here to him saving the ball, jumping four rows to the stands. Somehow he gets out of that and made a layup. That was his hustle.”
He was firm in his belief, even claiming he’d rather guard another scoring machine like Kobe Bryant instead of the Answer.
“I would rather guard Kobe than Allen. With Kobe, he is going to go to his spots, and he is playing through the offense. He would get the ball, see if he has a good look, pass it, but Allen, as soon as he got the ball, he wanted to go and try to score.”
“If he didn’t, he would pass the ball, get it back, and then try to score. And don’t have a number 3, and if you wore number 3, he took it personally,” concluded the Wizards legend.
AI was a threat to anybody who was in front of him. He didn’t leave you no chance to react and when you did, it was too late. He’ll go down in history as one of the best talents in NBA history and one of the best ringless players of all time. Watching him play was something else; he left a mark in the game both on and off the court.
Arenas faced players like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, who was a nightmare for him. Yet, he’s telling people Allen Iverson was the real deal.
