LeBron James calls Stephen Curry, Allen Iverson most ‘influential’ in recent NBA

In the pantheon of the greatest NBA players ever, there are guys on tiers above Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson — LeBron James is one of them.

However, LeBron is a true student of the game and understands that Curry and Iverson were more influential than he was, both with fans and how the game is played. LeBron and J.J. Redick discussed it in their new podcast, Mind the Game, with Reddick saying when he entered the league coaches would pull their starters if there was a 19-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter, but that is no longer the case. LeBron knows why.

“I believe in ’08/09, whenever that little light-skinned f***** came in the league, he changed that whole narrative. He single-handedly changed the ‘no lead is safe.’ It’s like Pat Mahomes right now.”

LeBron then talked about the influence of Iverson and Curry, and why they are so relatable.

“When it comes to influence since I’ve been watching the game… Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I’ve been watching and covering it. One, they’re 6’3″/6’4,” [laughter], if you want to look on the back of the basketball card, you know you always a lot taller on the back of the back of the basketball card. Allen Iverson and Steph., they were just so relatable, and kids felt like they could be them. They were guys that was not always counted on, they were small in stature, and they just defied the odds.

“So you got AI, who’s like unbelievable crossover, cornrows, arm sleeve — everyone wears an arm sleeve now because Allen Iverson — and he’s going into trenches, laying it up over bigs, whatever the case may be. And now you have Steph, who’s shooting over the Empire State Building. Those two are the two most influential when you play the game, how they changed the game, and the [impact on] kids, those are two guys that you just wanted to watch every single night.”

LeBron hits on the key to the popularity of Iverson and Curry. It’s hard to go to a playground or for a kid to shoot hoops in their driveway and imagine themselves as LeBron James or Kevin Durant — guys touched by the basketball gods with size and physical gifts way beyond the norm. Good luck envisioning yourself as the next Victor Wembanyama. However, Iverson and Curry are normal-sized humans doing incredible things and playing with passion and joy, which changes perception. Plus, Iverson was at the forefront of bringing hip-hop culture to the NBA, changing its vibe.

LeBron nails it. The entire podcast is worth checking out. Redick and LeBron have a fun discussion of everything from baseline out-of-bounds plays to, well, Curry and Iverson. It’s two guys who love the game talking about the game, and it works.