The definitive ranking of the NBA’s best players.
A few years ago, a friend of mine had the opportunity to spend a few weeks with Allen Iverson. The Answer was doin’ work for Reebok, taking an overseas tour to move kicks. It was just a few weeks before training camp was starting, yet according to my guy, Iverson never set foot in a gym, didn’t touch a basketball the entire time. (He also said that on the long flight from the US to Asia, AI didn’t bring any magazines, books, music, etc. — just a Monopoly board game, which he and his crew played incessantly.)
Upon their return from Asia, my friend shared with me Iverson’s apparent lack of dedication to basketball. Of course, maybe AI had worked out all summer and was taking a break. Whatever, we agreed that with training camp right around the corner, it probably didn’t bode well for Iverson.
Then the season started, and Allen Iverson led the NBA in scoring at 30.7 ppg while averaging 42.3 minutes per game.
Allen Iverson has always been one of the most singular talents in all of sports. We will probably never see anyone who can exactly replicate all of his skills, ever again. Thanks to his size (or lack thereof), kids all over the world look up to him as a prototype of what they, in a perfect world, might become. They could be the guy out there with the ball in his hands the entire game, scoring buckets at will, copping an MVP, getting to the Finals, getting all the attention and adulation.
The truth is, they could never become Allen Iverson, any more than I could become Michael Jackson. Even though Iverson has always physically reflected the smallest the NBA has to offer, it’s the mixture of passion, emotion and will that differentiate and make him impossible to replicate. Any short dude can take a lot of shots. But not anyone can be Allen Iverson.
I’ve spent about a decade hanging around the NBA, and I still know very little about Allen Iverson. Really, from what I’ve gathered, nobody understands Iverson — who he is, what he’s like off the court. He’s always been one of the most private people in the NBA, and in some ways this has made him even more popular; not knowing what he’s really like off the court makes him a blanker slate upon which we can project our ideal superstar.
For years, in each edition of the Sixers media guide, Iverson listed SLAM as his favorite magazine. And yet when we came calling each year for a cover shoot and interview, nailing down time with AI was like nailing an ice cube to a wall. If we were his favorite magazine, I’d hate to see how he treated those he didn’t like. While most of our cover shoots and interviews run at least an hour or so, AI always demanded we make it happen in the shortest amount of time possible. He was always willing to give us time, but he guarded his free time like he guarded passing lanes on the perimeter. We did our best to simplify.
Incidentally, I believe AI still holds the record for the fastest SLAM cover shoot of all-time for the cover of SLAM 55. The only way AI would do a photo shoot was if we could make it happen at the last minute. So one evening at a Sixers game, we set up a backdrop under the First Union center in the hallway that connected the Sixers’ locker room to the court. As the Sixers all ran out to the court for the introductions and lay-up lines, AI stopped, posed for pics for about 4 minutes, then ran out and joined his teammates. That cover shot was about as real as it gets.
I’ve always wondered if AI liked SLAM because we got him. When Iverson crossed over Jordan, most of the media misinterpreted the moment. 
To many, that crossover was emblematic of a new school of playground-bred hoops crossing over into the NBA. Long shorts, tats, braids, passes off the backboard…they were in the game to stay. One could even argue that the mainstreaming (and ESPN-ing) of the entire Streetball movement of the late ’90s/early ‘00s could be traced to that move AI broke off on MJ.
But to me, and I think to SLAM, that dribble was more about soul. Here was this shrimp of a rookie with the guts to go one-on-one against the greatest player to ever play basketball. And beating him. That, that David slaying Goliath moment, that was what should have mattered most from that play.
The past few years, just from our dealings with him, AI seems to have mellowed a little bit. When we shot him last season for the cover, he gave us hours instead of minutes. It was almost as though he recognized that his time in the spotlight was winding down, that there may not be many more cover shoots in his future. Perhaps it’s a stretch to posit that Iverson is evolving as a person based on a couple of photo shoot interactions, but really, that’s all I’ve got to go on.
It is much easier to evaluate Iverson as a basketball player. And as a basketball player, Allen Iverson has yet to evolve. He still drives to the basket (averaged as many FTA per game in ’07-08 as he did in ’98-99), but he also still needs the ball in his hands to be successful. While Iverson was tremendous as the hub the Sixers revolved around, teaming him with Carmelo in Denver never quite worked; at least, it didn’t work well enough to get Denver a title.
It’s obvious that he’s still at his best when he’s the center of attention on offense. I think it’s safe to say that most casual NBA fans would regard Iverson’s campaign in Detroit last year as a failure. But look a little closer at the digits: Iverson tried to fit in, tried to be a part of whatever the heck it was Michael Curry was selling. Yet as long as AI and Rip Hamilton attempted to coexist on the perimeter, the Pistons kept losing games. Then, Hamilton was out injured last season between Dec. 26 and Jan. 13. The Pistons played 8 games over that stretch. During that time, Allen Iverson averaged nearly 40 minutes a game and scored 17.6 ppg. More importantly, the Pistons went 6-2.
Rip returned on January 13, went back into the starting line-up, and the Pistons promptly lost 4 of their next 5. Around the All-Star break, the Pistons went into a brutal 3-14 tailspin. Instead of giving in, Iverson seemed to choose giving up, missing most of the second half of the season with a vague back injury. It was almost as if after all those years of warring with his coaches and the establishment, he was tired of fighting the fight.
I hope he doesn’t go out like that. As of today we still don’t know where Allen Iverson will end up next season. The two most likely contenders to sign him seem to be Memphis and the BETcats. I’m not sure I’m ready to see AI swallow the ignominy toiling in the basement again. I still think New York would be the perfect place for him to play this season. Get his swag back, score some points, win over the Gotham crowd. The Knicks refuse to look beyond 2010, and AI’s probably not looking much further at this point, either. But a D’Antoni/Iverson union in the greatest city in the world could be something to behold.
Now, to Allen Iverson clocking in here at number 50. Do I believe Allen Iverson is the 50th best basketball player in the NBA? No.
But is he the 50th best NBA basketball player? That is, are there 49 people who are better than AI at playing the type of basketball that NBA teams value right now? Well, maybe so.
But then, what do we know anyway?
After all, we never really understood Allen Iverson to begin with.
Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’09-10 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jake Appleman, Brett Ballantini, Russ Bengtson, Toney Blare, Shannon Booher, Myles Brown, Franklyn Calle, Gregory Dole, Emry DowningHall, Jonathan Evans, Adam Fleischer, Jeff Fox, Sherman Johnson, Aaron Kaplowitz, John Krolik, Holly MacKenzie, Ryne Nelson, Chris O’Leary, Ben Osborne, Alan Paul, Susan Price, Sam Rubenstein, Khalid Salaam, Kye Stephenson, Adam Sweeney, Vincent Thomas, Tzvi Twersky, Justin Walsh, Joey Whelan, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.
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Sorry for stealing the joke. Anton can now tell me to stop stealing the jokes!
I predict 479 posts, 2-3 arguments, and lots of sad fans.
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Without Lang to help mediate the Spanish reporter’s question to Iverson during that All Star jam session media day, Allen would not have answered at all, and his “What? Who?” would have been mean spirited. Transcript, Reporter: How do like Juan Jose Calderon’s game? How do you like playing against him? Iverson leans in, unable to hear the 1st time, Lang: Calderon, Toronto. Allen “Yeah, he’s pretty good. Good player.”
2 Garnett
3 Vince
4 Shaq
5 Spree
6 Melo
7 T-Mac
8 Wade
9 Jason Williams (Kings version)
10 Chris Paul
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22. Oliver Miller’s vertical leap. 21. John Salley and Tom Tolberg’s playing time combined. 20. She look like AC Green… 19. Travis Knight’s 6 fouls in under 6 minutes
Replacements on a 50 list: Tamia for Glen Rice’s Wife.
Receives a score of 50: Shaqawockees syncronized performance
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Iverson to Rubio, “We’re not soo different you and I…”
So, did you apply that same logic to Carlos Boozer?
If the rule is you have to be signed with a team, then that’s the rule. No need for me to argue.
Nobody had Allen Iverson’s crossover in the league before he got there.
I think that if the list is based on projections, than it’s really impossible to argue. Slam is claiming to be able to predict the future. Since I don’t have that ability, I can’t really argue with the writers.
If the list is based on recent performance, than I can’t see Iverson at 50. One bad year, in a new system asked to play a new role, and he drops from top 20 to number 50? Just doesn’t make sense.
I think Iverson’s crossover, despite being borderline illegal, was a better crossover than Tim’s.
I’ve made this argument before, nobody was doing a leaning crossover before Iverson introduced it to the world.
Tim had a right to left cross between the legs, with a quick crossover from left to right immediately after. That was it. It was beautiful. But, it wasn’t new. Isiah had been doing that for years.
Iverson introduced a leaning, long, left to right crossover that nobody was doing at the time. Yet, since about 98 or 99, every credible wing player in the league has incorporated that move into their games.
That’s a game changer right there.
But, that has nothing to do with this ranking, just a point of clarification.
Now, my first question would be how is SLAM predicting what is going to happen next year? How can you predict a player’s future performance without considering their past performance? And if you’re considering past performance, why go to such lengths to point out that past performances and awards don’t matter?
It’s a weird situation in my opinion, and really, since I don’t truly understand how the decisions were made, it doesn’t make much sense for me to argue about Iverson.
Everybody who comments here regulary knows how I feel about the man. His flaws, his strengths and his talent. If the SLAM collective believes that Iverson’s time as a top 25 player in the NBA is over, then that’s what SLAM believes. It is what it is.
Granted the Topps/Trading card guys admitted they airbrushed out MJ’s tongue to prevent kids from losing theirs. Sorta makes sense? Everyone did it anyway on the court, don’t even try it anyway without some semblance of game. Tattoo removal was more, senseless pre-damage control, years before front row kids can wear conrow and afro headband hats during games(only?! who knows once they go home).
It’s not intellectually dishonest to point out what has been repeated multiple times. Ryne stated clearly this list does include past awards, and was created based on a reasonable expectation of what a given player would do next year.
So, SLAM is making a prediction. Which means it’s predicting the future. Whether SLAM does that all the time or not is immaterial since that’s what’s happening now.
If Ryne or anybody else had said “Based on what these players did the past five years, here’s what we think they will do next year” that would be something different. Instead, he made it clear that past awards, and I assume past performances, are not important.
So I’m left with a problem.
I think that if you consider the past five years of Iverson’s career, or the past three or even last year, there is no way he can legitimately be the 50th best player in the NBA. (The issue of his contract doesn’t bother me because I seriously doubt he will be without a team come October.) I don’t see how someone could assess his skill set, even with its flaws, and say “that’s the 50th best player in the League.”
As I read the end of Lang’s piece he made a point to say Iverson’s skills do not make him the 50th best player in the league. Instead he said that the perception of the value of Iverson’s skill set puts him in that spot.
So we’re arguing a mixture of prediction and perception. Not actual skill set, or past performance. Seems difficult to make a case for the man if the criteria is prediction and perception.
It brings up a lot of scars.
http://deadspin.com/5345287/the-confessions-of-an-nba-scorekeeper?skyline=true&s=x
I would advise you to hold off on that statement until you see the rest of the list.
#9: Steve– Oh, I mean Shaq Vs.
“Sam Bowie was picked before Jordan! =O Jordan must not be the best player ever! ‘Cuz its proven that teams really would rather have Sam Bowie than Michael Jordan!”
dont understand why y’all freakin LOVE him so much
I still don’t think he should be a bench scorer wherever he goes.
There are plenty of teams I think he could start for. Miami, Charlotte, Phili, Toronto, all these teams have weak shooting guards and I think AI would be better suited starting… what’s the point of bringing him off the bench?
Now if he couldn’t settle for a more limited “score when you can” role as a starter, he can’t exist coming off the bench either… and he’ll probably be out of the league.
I say Iverson CAN as a secondary starter option. I think Allen Iverson, despite what he says, will try and adopt to help a team.
The question is, how good will he be in that role.
And that’s why I really don’t have a problem with Iversons ranking here. Iverson at his top notch form right now is probably in the 30-40ths, maybe even the 20s. Iverson on how teams need him right now should be the 50th best player in the NBA: a player who doesn’t necessarily work off the ball, but score in bunches, sort of like Barbosa or Manu. That’s what he needs to be to succeed in the NBA right now.
Myles must have written this one
This ranking may piss you off. And it irks me as well. But looking at the listed reasons, I can see why/how Allen Iverson, who still can be a top 15-20 player (Yes, I really believe this), can be given a seemingly disrespectful 50th slot. It’s not disrespectful; it’s understandable, even. Oh, and it helps to read the piece that comes attached with the ranking too.
I am thoroughly and utterly baffled, confused, shook, startled and discombobulated by this ranking of the top 50 players. It is weak and never ever would have imagine that Slam Magazine would ever in any self complied list of 50 greatest anything rank AI in anything other then the top 10 overall player in history or current. Slam Magazine does not represent the X’s and Os’s of the game or give two hoots about the politics surrounding the profession of basketball. The Slam I have grown to know and respect is about the game. Let me repeat. About THE GAME. Its supposed to speak and report on the players that GOT GAME. Iverson not only is a BALLER who got game, but he brought, wrote, and revolutionized GAME as we have it today. That clip you showed Mr Whitaker should be called Swag. This concept of Swag now being thrown around is found and rooted in that video. Rookie number #1 broke The GOAT with healthy legs and at his peak with some thing never seen like ever, ever before on the biggest stage of basketball. He came with some shake that no playa ever worked with before. The swag can take any crew of 5 on its own, even today, it just needs hustlers to hold down the block and it will deliver the Answer. I cant say much more at this point or brow beat you any further. But all this being delivered form you Mr. Whitaker and backed with your words is a catastrophe. I wish you use better judgment in the future and wake up and realize and recognize what SLAM is again. By the way check Allen Iverson at rucker park for a refresher. Seen to many playground mixs by people with game on our of our greatest national landmarks but his performance at the capital of blacktop is like of none other. Moshiah Now!, Mendel
Also, like usual, Mendel doesn’t get it. Slam has grown. Iverson has not. Those who still bring up Iverson breaking Jordan’s ankles will never ever get it.
Last season doesn’t count, remember?
Allen Iverson # 50 , no way !!! Assholes !!!
he must be in top 30 at least, when i saw something that looks more officially, Allen was at 22, but here u put him at 50 , delete this muthaf*cking shit !!! dumbasses
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