20 years is a long time, especially in the internet age. However, Allen Iverson’s iconic crossover against Michael Jordan lives on, and Sunday marked the 20-year anniversary of the play. Even casual NBA fans have likely seen the replay of the move a number of times but it never fails to be less remarkable that a then 21-year-old Iverson completely shook the greatest basketball player of all time with his signature crossover.
Recently, Iverson was asked whether his famous step-over of Tyronn Lue or the MJ crossover was his most famous play and he didn’t hesitate to shine a light on the crossover despite the fact that the Lue play happened in the NBA Finals. Iverson said “You gotta say the Mike joint, because it was Mike! The greatest player ever to play the game.”
Regardless of which was play was better and/or more impactful, the legacy of this particular move is iconic. The fact that a simple crossover in the midst of a regular season game produces this much reflection is an indication of just how crazy it was at the time and, of course, it helped that Iverson went on to be one of the more beloved players in recent memory.
Many NBA fans were quite young or, weirdly, not alive when Allen Iverson crossed over Michael Jordan but everyone can look back in unison to remember the splendor that helped to launch the career of “The Answer” 20 years ago.
