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7. Allen Iverson
There’s never the ‘next’ anyone because the ‘first’ was always just that — the first of their kind. Michael Jordan was exactly that type of icon, and by the mid-’90s everyone was looking for MJ 2.0. Sorry, not gonna happen. While rising stars across both conferences would garner similarities to his Airness thanks to swingman build, uncanny athleticism and even the same haircut, they were all just following his footsteps. Someone had to break the mold just like MJ did when he came in the league, but just the same, not like MJ at all. That someone was Allen Iverson.
The braids, the tats, the kicks, the moves — this may sound like “Who We Be” by DMX but it’s not. Still, the story line brings just as much bark as Allen Iverson’s aggressive style and controversial image changed the game forever. A once in a lifetime talent, a once in existence icon, Pound for Pound had influence that couldn’t be measured by any modern day social tracking tools, changing the dress code amongst not just his fans but also his peers — a seismic shift that would eventually force the league to change the rules to retaliate. In general, AI was a classic case of coming up and making his culture mass culture. His culture was the streets and he embodied all of that with both his game and his image. Rather than be on some PC BS, Reebok fully embraced all that was Allen Iverson and sold it just the same. The Reebok Question proved an instant classic, rising above its golden era contemporaries and still standing as more meaningful than any model ever endorsed by his draft classmates. For the remainder of his career, the Reebok Answer series sold in bunches and competed with any and every signature line, relying on AI’s exceptional play, Reebok’s strong design and a money marketing campaign.
In today’s internet era where gossip gets more clicks than good news, it’s possible Allen Iverson will be remembered more for soundbites than highlights. He shouldn’t be. Bubba Chuck was one of the greatest players to ever play the game, giving it 110% every time he touched the floor. Even if media meddles, his shoes will continue to tell the story of the sub-6′ footer that all the big guys wanted to be like.
-Ian Stonebrook
