Remembering AI - 5 Reasons why Allen Iverson is immortal

If you were growing up in the 90s and early 2000s and you had any sort of interest in basketball, Iverson is one of those players who you'd always remember. The Answer will always be remembered for being one of the most determined, hard-working and competitive players to ever play the game, and there's so much that he signified with his play on court through the course of his fascinating basketball journey.

Allen Iverson played in the NBA for 14 seasons, and was elected as an All-Star for 11 of them. He has an MVP season to his credit, as well as 3 steals titles in consecutive years from 2000 till 2003. Despite being one of the lightest and shortest to ever play the game, Iverson was a giant of the game and often put all-time greats a whole foot bigger than him to shame.

On his 43rd birthday, we look back at some of the reasons why The Answer belongs to the pantheon of the immortal legends of the game:

#5 He is the inspiration for every undersized player in the league today

2001 NBA Finals - Game 2: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

I am not exaggerating when I say that Iverson is, pound-for-pound the greatest player in basketball history. He came into the league in 1996, a time when other than Michael Jordan, the league was dominated by superstar big men like The Dream, The Admiral, Diesel, Hoya Destroya and Mount Mutombo.

He is the only player at his size (5'11", 160 pounds) to ever win the MVP award. The next smallest player to win the award is Stephen Curry, who has about 30 pounds and 3-4 inches on him.

In fact, it was watching him dominate and run rings around defenses every single day that inspired the likes of Steph, Kyrie, Chris Paul, Westbrook, Wall and the other elite point guards in the league today, not to mention others like Isaiah Thomas and Nate Robinson.

#4 He was a style icon who changed the perception of NBA players worldwide

AI was the face of the league alongside Shaq in the late 90s and the early noughties primarily because of his flair for dressing up like a hip-hop star. He was the first superstar to wear an arm sleeve on an arm adorned with tattooes all over him.

His cornrows hairstyle is literally the stuff of legends. Thousands, possibly millions of young players worldwide tried to emulate his hairstyle his dressing sense and the swagger he carried himself with.

AI was literally the epitome of cool, and he made it possible for the likes of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and other tattooed superstars to be marketable for literally any brand in the market today. It was his forward, refreshingly unconventional approach that allowed more players league-wide to dress in a way they liked and still make money off endorsements.

#3 The 'Practice' rant

Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson addresses reporters

We sitting in here -- I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice. I mean, listen: We talking about practice. Not a game. Not a game. Not a game. We talking about practice. Not a game. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it's my last. Not the game. We talking about practice, man.

Perhaps the most memorable press conference by an NBA player of all time was one involving AI berating reporters for repeatedly asking him about missed and botched practices. Iverson was going through tough times, on both a personal level as well as from a player's standpoint.

The Sixers had been knocked out in the first round of playoffs by a young Boston Celtics team. Iverson and Larry Brown were unable to see eye-to-eye, as both had different visions of how the team should function and what role the former would play in the latter's schemes. Iverson was also reeling from the loss of his close friend Rashaan Langford 7 months earlier, and the murder trial for his case was ongoing during the time of this press conference.

If there's any incident that displays how real AI has always kept it, this press conference is it.

#2 His 2000-01 campaign

2001 NBA Finals: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Looking at this Finals series and the way it's panning out, contemporary basketball fans have wondered if there's ever been a worse supporting cast surrounding a superstar as LeBron has been for the entirety of this season. Well, I humbly present to you Iverson's 2000-01 season, when he won league MVP honours over the incumbent Shaquille O'Neal and led the Sixers to the NBA Finals.

Through the regular season, Iverson averaged 31.1 points per game while leading the Sixers to the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference. He upped the ante in the playoffs with 32.9 points, 6.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

Looking back at the 2001 Finals, the Lakers were better than the Sixers at every single roster spot, and it's the pure winning mentality of Iverson that gave them a shocking Game 1 win in the series.

#1 The Crossover

San Antonio Spurs v Philadelphia 76ers

If there is one move every single kid to ever play streetball has tried to master, it is Allen Iverson's crossover dribble move. AI had all kinds of tricks up his sleeve, and this particular move was virtually unstoppable whenever he was one-on-one after getting switched onto a slower defender.

2 of his crossovers will go down in basketball history as some of the most iconic moves ever made in league play. The first was against the greatest guard of all time, Michael Jordan. The other was the one he pulled on Tyronn Lue before stepping over his feet in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Every point guard in the league today has tried to emulate the fluid ball-handling skills that Iverson displayed. The level of skill he displayed on his handles is something few players have ever been able to copy - but every single one has tried.