We Reminisce: The First Meeting Of Allen Iverson & Stephon Marbury

Amidst all this Rajon Rondo/Chris Paul hoopla today, I stumbled across some amazing footage of the first NBA meeting between Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury. Both rookies during the 1996-97 season, you can understand the hype surrounding the No. 1 pick and No. 4 pick facing off – a game that didn’t occur until March 11, 1997. While this footage is great, it’s even better after watching A.I. and Steph battle in college.

The setting for that game was Madison Square Garden for a semifinal in the 11th annual Preseason National Invitation Tournament. Their assessments of each other after the game:

Iverson on Marbury: “He’s a great player, but he’s a freshman. He’s got a lot to learn, just as I’ve got a lot to learn. He’ll get better.”

Marbury on Iverson: “You can only try to contain him. He’ll get his points, regardless.”