The 3 Defining Moves Of Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson was a revolutionary, an NBA star and a cultural icon for basketball off the court as much as he was on it. Still, what made A.I. one of the most remarkable players was his ability to score at will despite standing 6-feet tall and weighing only 165 pounds.

He made his legacy in a game fit for giants, and he did it because he possessed a handle comparable to few. Put that on top of blistering speed and a relentlessness on both ends of the floor and you’ve got The Answer.

For as many games as Iverson played in, his never-ending motor was remarkable. He never found himself too tired to play at 100 mph, and though he was often hindered by nagging injuries thanks to his fearlessness in attacking the rim, never did pain quell his desire to get up for a game.

Sure, maybe practice was a different story. Nonetheless, his effort was never questioned come game time. How was he so successful on the court? To celebrate The Answer’s birthday, here are my favorite parts of Allen Iverson’s on-court repertoire.

The crossover

What’s so fascinating about Iverson’s staple move is that defenders knew it was coming. It just didn’t matter.

Iverson had a way of rocking you to sleep anyway. His eyes read “pass.” His dribble stayed calm. All of a sudden you thought he was heading left. He hangs the ball out for you to grab – it’s right there in front of you. Then, as you reach for the swipe, Iverson’s not even in front of you.

Even had you realized the trap, he’s too fast for you to recover. Michael Jordan couldn’t cover it.

Neither could Kobe Bryant.

The crossover was his defining move. Kids replicated it on the playgrounds, and A.I. made his career out of it.

The step-back, fadeaway jumper

It wasn’t that long ago when it was considered taboo to be falling backward when you took a jump shot – I mean, ABC ran a feature package this month about Dirk Nowitzki‘s one-footed fall-away like he invented it.

But before Nowitzki, little man Allen Iverson had a good excuse to throw up fadeaways. He almost had to. While he had great hops and more length than your average 6-foot dude, Iverson made it possible to shoot jumpers over taller guards because of it. All he needed was a little airspace moving toward the hoop, a step-back and it was over.

Combine that with a crossover and you get one small 30-point per game scorer. Just ask Tyronn Lue.



The up-and-under

In four of A.I.’s NBA seasons, he averaged at least 10 free throw attempts per game, and most other years his numbers were pretty close to that. Point is, he wasn’t afraid to take the ball to the paint, and when he got there he knew what to do.

But when a big man rotated on help defense with a block in mind, Iverson knew how to use the rim to his advantage (skip ahead to 1:25).

Iverson created havoc in the lane, on the perimeter and in media sessions after missing practice. And for all of that, we thank him.

What are your greatest memories of Allen Iverson?

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