LeBron James: Allen Iverson, Stephen Curry Are 2 Most Influential Players In NBA Since I’ve Been Watching

On the first episode of his podcast with JJ Redick, LeBron James said Allen Iverson and Stephen Curry are the two most influential players in the NBA since he’s been watching. 

Iverson entered the NBA in 1996-97 and was a dominant force with the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, Curry has been in the league since 2009-10 with the Golden State Warriors. 

“So you got AI who is like unbelievable crossover, cornrows, arm sleeve,” LeBron said. “We wear arm sleeve, everyone wears an arm sleeve now because of Allen Iverson. And he’s going in the trenches, you know, layin’ it up over bigs, whatever the case may be. 

“And now you have Steph, who is shooting over the Empire State Building. You know, it’s like those two are the most influential, when you say their game, how they changed the game and the kids and like, those are two guys that you just wanted to watch every single night.”

LeBron has high praise for Steph and how he influenced today’s game as well as Allen Iverson’s influence

LeBron: “I believe in 08/09 or whenever that little light skin f*cker came in the league that’s in Golden State he changed that whole narrative —- no lead is safe” pic.twitter.com/Z0ylTUWVnj

— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) March 19, 2024

Iverson is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. He’s ninth all-time in points per game (26.7). The 11-time All-Star averaged over 30.0 points in a season four times. 

In 914 games with the Sixers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies, Iverson averaged 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.2 blocks. He made seven All-NBA teams. 

The 1996-97 Rookie of the Year, Iverson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. He was also named one of the top 75 players of all time in 2022. 

Curry will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer one day. He’s the best shooter of all time and a top-five point guard in NBA history. Curry is the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals.

A Davidson product, Curry has career averages of 24.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists. He has made 10 All-Star teams and nine All-NBA teams. 

LeBron is arguably the greatest player in NBA history. He’s a four-time MVP, four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP. He has scored the most points of all time.