The Tribune

By Ricardo Wells

Ask any guard at any level of the game today which player inspired their tenacity and effort.

Some would say Kobe. A couple would say Steph Curry. But most would say Allen Iverson.

The six-foot point guard out of Georgetown was the No.1 overall pick in the 1996 draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. His remarkable journey defied the sceptics: he played big, earning the league’s respect with every drive to the bucket and every hard finish.

I recall the early summer of 2001. Playoff basketball was in the air and as a young Lakers fan it was time to see my team repeat as champions. There was no was way the erratic Sixers could beat the Lakers. In fact, I saw them as nothing more than a ball-dominant Allen Iverson and a cast of lesser knowns.

Who could stop Shaq? Who did they have to defend Kobe on the perimeter? They didn’t have the answers ... well that’s what I thought.

You see, beyond myself and all the other crazed Laker fans, no one gave the Sixers a shot. So heading in to Game 1 of that series Iverson and his cast of lesser knowns were playing with house money. Everyone predicted them to lose, so if they did it would not matter at all.

The Lakers early on in Game 1 looked a dominant team going through the motions on their way to a win. Kobe was on and so was Shaq. Game 1 seemed over as quickly as it had began.

Despite a strong effort by the Lakers, the 76ers found themselves with a huge opportunity after forcing overtime. The Lakers jumped out to a quick five-point lead and then he struck. The Answer - Allen Iverson.

The Answer became one of ten elected to the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this week. After the announcement was made, all I could recall was the moment Allen Iverson transitioned from an exciting player to one that could dominate the league at any given moment.

It was in that overtime match-up with the Lakers in early June, 2001. The 76ers scored 13 of the game’s final 15 points, including seven straight by Iverson. Layup after layup, despite tough defence, he got to the basket on every attempt.

Phil Jackson, the Lakers Head Coach that season, made a key substitution at that time to try and limit Iverson down the stretch. He benched starting guard Derrick Fisher and called on young Tyrone Lue to, in some way, stop Iverson - the game’s gutsiest performer. Two of Iverson’s most remembered points followed.

Iverson stepped out on the high right-wing to receive the pass. He eyed Lue down, waved the ball over his head as to signal that as his moment to do what he did best. Quick jab to the left, dribble drive to the right, crossover, step back fader. As the shot tickled the net ever so gently, Lue fell to the deck as a result of his attempt to block Iverson’s shot.

In true Iverson fashion, he gazed down at Lue, gave him the look of “how in the world didn’t you know better”, and walked over him. He was truly the answer - the how, what, why and when that night against the Lakers. The 76ers never surrendered the lead again.

“You get down five in the Finals against the Lakers and everybody’s got their brooms out,” Iverson told reporters after the game. “That drives us.”

The invincible Lakers now had a crack in their armour.

“Anybody that bet on it, some broke people out there. Some people got their feelings hurt. I’m glad nobody bet their life on it, because they definitely would be dead right now,” Iverson told reporters.

The Lakers went on to eventually win that series, much to my delight, but what was clear following the Finals was Iverson’s ability to carry a team on his shoulders against any opposition. With pure grit and determination Iverson crafted a spectacular 14-season career with four NBA franchises - Philadelphia, Detroit, Denver and Memphis.

The calibre of player he was couldn’t be determined by the statistics he piled into the box score, nor could it by the awards he got. The true balance sheet of Iverson’s career could only be tabulated by those that played against him. Those that gave him their best, and those that certainly stood witness to his.

Today we see two ball-dominant guards in the league, but the thing that made Iverson unique was his fashion of play. The originator of the crossover - his ability to drive-by opponents with sleight of hands and quick footwork - made his game something to marvel at.

“He’d attack from the beginning of the game to the end of the game,” Kobe Bryant once said of Iverson. “He’s a player that I always had to pay attention to. He always had me on my toes. There’s not another player that did that. I mean, he kept coming. Most competitive player I ever faced, without question. Oh, my God, he was relentless.”

Away from the court, his persona did just as much to elevate the game’s culture. His corn-rows, baggy jeans, earrings and casual wearing of athletic jerseys made the urban fashion acceptable in NBA circles. He personified the 90s era of basketball culture and fashion. Allen Iverson was for many, a giant.

Fittingly, the biggest, smallest guy I ever witnessed play the game entered the Hall of Fame with two of the game’s best big men - Yao Ming and Shaquille O’Neal.

The 7ft 6in Yao Ming was the No.1 pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets and played eight seasons in the league before finishing in 2010 due to reccurring injuries. He was ambassador for the sport, stretching the reach of the game to territories in Asia that had never before seen it.

The other titan was the 7ft 2in dominant post threat that played 19 seasons in the NBA, averaging 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds. Shaq was MVP in 2000 and a three-time Finals MVP. Certainly, my favourite big man. He had a character and personality that brought fun to the often times, intense sport of basketball. Added to that, he brought my Lakers three consecutive titles between 2000 and 2002.

In their individual ways each player spawned remarkable careers. All three made history. However, amongst the giants, Allen Iverson stood tallest; at least he did in my eyes.

• Ricardo Wells writes every Thursday on the NBA. Comments to rwells@tribunemedia.net