LeBron James is unarguably the longest tenured superstar in the NBA. However, he believes that when it comes to influence, Allen Iverson and Stephen Curry hold the top spot. Understanding every slight intricacies of the game, LeBron radiated the same on his premiere of the, Mind the Game, alongside JJ Redick.

After talking about Steph’s ability to take over leads, LeBron applauded the overall influence Steph has in the league. He said, “Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I’ve been watching and covering it.”

Now, hours later, Curry’s coach Steve Kerr opens up on LeBron’s statements. Citing weight in James’ remarks, Kerr says, “I think that is really, really accurate. And I would agree without really giving it a ton of thought.” Moreover, summarizing Steph’s influence on the court, Kerr said, “What Steph has done is he’s just made it normal to shoot a million threes and to shoot 32 footers. Nobody else did that.”

No, LeBron did not forget to give Michael Jordan the due credits for assisting the NBA be a global name. However, he claims that Steph and Allen had the odds stacked against them due to their smaller frame in comparison to the league.

Allen Iverson was amongst the first to normalize the blend of entertainment, fashion, basketball in the league. As the 6’0 point guard climbed the ranks, fans wanted to rock headbands, arm sleeves and tattoos just like him. Moreover, on the court, they wanted to razzle-dazzle the defenders; creating a blueprint of today’s NBA.

On the other hand, as LeBron James mentioned, Curry normalized the “no lead is safe” notion with his extraordinary shooting. Moreover, Curry’s abilities are lauded instrumental in changing the pace and approach to modern-day basketball. The two icons embracing distinct yet prominent influential approaches, however, passed by each other ever-so-rarely.

Stephen Curry has played twice vs Allen Iverson

When it comes to Curry and Iverson, the most common driving factor amongst fans was their relatability due to their height. Moreover, unlike MJ’s gifted athleticism and relentlessness, the two harbored pure skills; something fans believe they could replicate through hard-work.

Regarded as players from different generations, Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson have faced off twice (both in 2009). Obviously, since Allen was in the last leg of his professional career and Curry was simply a rookie, the grounds were not leveled.

Read More – 11 Months After Bagging $75 Million Worth Shares, Stephen Curry Makes Big Moves to Plunge Huge Gap in Basketball

Regardless, Stephen Curry is 1-1 against Iverson, averaging 10.5 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds (44% shooting). Iverson, coming to the bench in the first and starting in the latter, holds 19 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds while making nearly 68% of his shots. Away from the numbers and across different eras, however, Curry and Iverson’s contributions continue to reign significant.