In the debut episode of his podcast, Mind the Game, with JJ Redick, LeBron James talked about the two players he feels influenced the game the most during his time in basketball–Allen Iverson and Stephen Curry:
“Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I’ve been watching and covering it.”
In the podcast, James and Redick talked about how roughly a decade ago, teams would clear out their benches if they were down by close to 20 points heading into the fourth quarter. According to James, Curry “singlehandedly” put an end to this with his offensive firepower and historic three-point shooting.
“He singlehandedly changed “no lead is safe.” I love that guy… Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I’ve been watching and covering it.”
LeBron James gives Steph Curry his flowers 💐 pic.twitter.com/8ejCM8EyZG
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 19, 2024
LeBron James Calls Two Legends NBA’s “Biggest Influential Guys”
Stephen Curry’s Influence
Although three-point shooting had been around since the late 1970s, nobody used it to near perfection until Curry joined the league. Currently, Curry’s 3,687 career three-point field goals are easily an NBA record. Additionally, his 42.6 3pt% ranks among the highest of qualified players in league history. His three-point-making ability changed the way the game is played today. Now, teams have put a bigger emphasis on perimeter shooting, with even premier big men now developing an outside offensive game. If there’s anybody who knows about Curry’s influence firsthand, it’s James.
In their careers, James and Curry have gone head-to-head with one another 51 times. This includes the four consecutive years they faced each other in the NBA Finals from 2015-to-2018. During this stretch, Curry won three of them with the Golden State Warriors. Despite their on-court rivalry, James has respect for Curry and what he has brought to the game.
Allen Iverson’s Influence
Before Iverson, teams in the NBA rarely built around shorter players. However, that all changed when the Philadelphia 76ers went against the grain and made Iverson their franchise star after drafting him first overall in 1996. Five years into his NBA career, Iverson won the MVP award, making him the shortest player to win it. Furthermore, over two decades later, Iverson still holds this record. The same year, Iverson and the 76ers reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Lakers in five games.
Although James didn’t analyze Iverson too much in the podcast episode, he’s publicly praised the Basketball Hall of Famer in the past. In 2013, James called Iverson “pound-for-pound, probably the greatest player who ever played.” Furthermore, in 2022, James talked about Iverson’s influence off the court as something that inspired him:
“He represented what black kids were all about and he resonated with every inner-city kid in the world who had a struggle,” James said of Iverson via Sports Illustrated. “Michael Jordan inspired me, and I looked up to him, but he was out of this world. A.I. was really the god.”
Iverson’s influence is so prominent that the former NBA MVP will be getting his own documentary on Prime Video.
LeBron James May Have Been Too Humble on His Podcast
Curry and Iverson are both among the greatest NBA players to ever step foot on a basketball court. James praising them as highly as he has is justified. However, it’s fair to wonder if James had a sense of humility when calling them the most influential guys in NBA history. Throughout his illustrated 20-plus-year NBA career, James has seen the league change time and time again. Even in 2024, he is one of the most dominant players in the league. In fact, he has been since the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him in 2003. While Curry and Iverson are rightfully deemed two of the all-time greats, it would not be an exaggeration to consider James the league’s most influential player in NBA history.
