The most famous step over in NBA history came on June 6, 2001.
The Philadelphia 76ers were leading the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers 101-99 as Allen Iverson isolated against a little-known defender in the right corner. Following a nasty crossover that gave him some much-needed breathing room, the league MVP drained a fading 20-footer – and celebrated in the utterly disrespectful manner that first made Tyronn Lue’s name.
Lue had a front-row seat to the second-most famous step over of all time, too.
It came almost exactly 15 years later following a tussle between LeBron James and Draymond Green. With his team on the verge of another loss in the Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar took a straight line to the rim as his Golden State Warriors counterpart was splayed on the floor beneath him. The end result? A suspension that took the championship series a couple days closer to an all-or-nothing Game 7.
There’s no pretending that this third step over is as well-known as those first two. But there’s also no pretending it has a unique connection to Iverson’s iconic moment and James’ controversial one.
Yup, that’s James dunking over and stepping over his current head coach during the latter’s time with the Atlanta Hawks in the mid 2000s. Lue, clearly, just can’t stay out of people’s way.
