1996-97 N.B.A. regular season: Chicago Bulls vs Philadelphia 76ers – Allen “The Answer” Iverson’s crossover on Michael “His Airness” Jordan

Credit: Steve Lipofsky

Credit: Kevin Burkett

Credit: Keith Allison

It was during a Philadelphia 76er’s 1996-97 N.B.A. (National Basketball Association) regular season evening home game against the Chicago Bulls on March 12, 1997, when I had witnessed one of the greatest manifestations of Allen “The Answer” Iverson’s offensive artistry. The lowly Sixers (16 wins at the time) were clashing with the mighty Michael “His Airness” Jordan-led Chicago Bulls; a young, up and coming team versus an experienced, championship-caliber team (including N.B.A. Hall of Fame forward Scottie Pippen, forward Dennis Rodman, N.B.A. Sixth Man of the Year Toni Kukoc, etc.

Iverson was an exceptional All-American basketball superstar with John Thompson Sr.-led Georgetown University at the N.C.A.A. Division I level; but some skeptics questioned if his college-level success would equate to N.B.A. greatness. Others had speculated that Iverson had perhaps left college prematurely (Iverson left Georgetown in 1996 after his freshman year), and was not prepared for the rigors of the physically-demanding 82-game N.B.A. regular season (not to mention potential playoff games).

Others questioned if Iverson’s blacktop-style of basketball would be effective in the N.B.A., as well as lingering disciplinary issues. The moment “A.I.” (possessing the ball) had faced up Jordan around the top of the key and proceeded to dribble the ball through his legs, I started feeling goosebumps on my skin and began to brace myself for something special indeed. The last thing I would have ever imagined seeing was “His Airness” being embarrassed by a young, inexperienced, albeit supremely talented, rookie, such as Allen Iverson, especially considering the Bulls overall dominance over the Sixers during that era.

Instead of driving to the rim however, the cat-quick Iverson faked like he was going to his left, quickly crossed the ball to the right, pulled up and calmy sank the jumper over an outstretched Jordan hand. Although Iverson put Jordan to shame with his killer crossover, Jordan finished the affair with a close Bull’s 108-104 win that night. Throughout his illustrious N.B.A. career, it remains one of my favorite Allen Iverson crossovers of all time. It kind of hurt me that Jordan (one of my favorite N.B.A. players of all time) had to be the subject of Iverson’s stealthy ball-handling trickery. Nevertheless, I was equally impressed that “A.I.” was able to execute his legendary crossover on an N.B.A. legend with such poise and calm.

Below are some Allen “The Answer” Iverson career statistics and highlights:

Allen “The Answer” Iverson profile and fast facts

Allen “The Answer” Iverson career highlights and awards

Allen “The Answer” Iverson N.B.A. career statistics at a glance

Allen “The Answer” Iverson’s crossover on Michael “His Airness” Jordan (including Allen Iverson brief commentary)

1996-97 N.B.A. regular season: Philadelphia 76ers vs Chicago Bulls–102-128–game highlights (Allen “The Answer” Iverson vs Michael Jordan)—(April 25, 1997)

2002-03 N.B.A. regular season: Washington Wizards vs Philadelphia 76ers–87-107–game highlights–Michael Jordan’s final N.B.A game (Allen “The Answer” Iverson vs Micheal Jordan)—(April 16, 2003)

2001-02 N.B.A. regular season: Washington Wizards vs Philadelphia 76ers–94–87–game highlights (Allen “The Answer” Iverson vs Micheal Jordan)— (November 29, 2001)

1997-98 N.B.A. preseason: Philadelphia 76ers vs Chicago Bulls–101-113–game highlights–(Allen “The Answer” Iverson vs Michael Jordan)—(Game played at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.–University of North Carolina Tarheels)

1997-98 N.B.A. regular season: Philadelphia 76ers vs Chicago Bulls–74-94–game highlights (Allen”The Answer” Iverson vs Michael Jordan)—(November 1, 1997)

Allen “The Answer” Iverson top 100 crossovers compilation

Allen “The Answer” Iverson top 30 plays compilation

2003 N.B.A. Eastern Conference First Round–Game One–New Orleans Hornets vs. Philadelphia 76ers–90–98–game highlights (Allen Iverson scores Philadelphia 76ers franchise playoff-record 55 points on the Hornets’ Baron Davis/Jamal Mashburn)—(April 21, 2003)

2001 N.B.A. Finals–Game One: Philadelphia 76ers vs Los Angeles Lakers–107-101 (overtime)–game highlights (Allen Iverson drops 48 points on the Lakers’ Kobe “Black Mamba” Bryant/Shaquille “Diesel” O’Neal in his sole career N.B.A Finals victory)—(June 6, 2001)

1996-97 N.B.A. regular season: Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers–118-125–game highlights–(Allen Iverson drops 50 points on the Cavaliers’ Terrell Brandon/Chris Mills during his N.B.A. rookie season)—(April 12, 1997)

2004-05 N.B.A. regular season: Orlando Magic vs Philadelphia 76ers–99-112–full game–Allen Iverson scores an N.B.A. career-high 60 points on the Magic’s Steve “The Franchise” Francis/Dwight “Superman” Howard)—(February 12, 2005)

2001-02 N.B.A. regular season: Houston Rockets vs Philadelphia 76ers–106-112 (overtime)–game highlights–(Allen Iverson scores 58 points on the Rockets’ Steve “The Franchise” Francis/Cuttino “The Cat” Mobley)–(January 15, 2002)

2004-05 N.B.A. regular season: Philadelphia 76ers vs Milwaukee Bucks–116-97–game highlights–(Allen Iverson scorches the Bucks’ Michael Redd/Josh Smith scoring 54 points)–(December 18, 2004)

2007-08 N.B.A. regular season: Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets–111-107–game highlights–(Allen Iverson scores 51 points on the Lakers’ Kobe “Black Mamba” Bryant/Lamar Odom)–(December 25, 2007)

Allen “The Answer” Iverson Detroit Piston highlights mix

2005-06 N.B.A. regular season: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Philadelphia 76ers–123-120–game highlights–(Allen Iverson scores 37 points on the Cavaliers’ LeBron “The King” James/Zydrunas Ilgauskas)–(November 19, 2005)

1995 Preseason N.I.T. Final: #5 Georgetown Hoyas vs #19 Arizona Wildcats–81-91–game highlights–(Allen Iverson drops 40 points on the Wildcats’ Jason “The Jet” Terry/Miles Simon)–(November 24, 1995)

Allen Iverson Georgetown Hoyas highlights mix

1995 Big East Tournament Quarterfinals game: #6 Georgetown Hoyas vs nationally unranked Miami Hurricanes–92-62–game highlights–(Allen Iverson scores 38 points on the Hurricanes’ Steven Edwards/Tim James)–(March 7, 1996)

1994-95 Big East matchup: #22 Georgetown Hoyas vs #9 Villanova Wildcats–77-52–game highlights–(Allen Iverson collects 26 points vs the Wildcats’ Kerry Kittles)–(February 20, 1995)

Published on: April 15, 2018

Sources: Wikipedia–https://www.en.wikipedia.org, N.B.C. Sports–https://www.nbcsports.com, Georgetown Hoyas–https://guhoyas.com/sports/mens-basketball, Philadelphia 76ers–https://www.nba.com/sixers/, E.S.P.N.–https://www.espn.com, Basketball Reference–https://www.basketball-reference.com, YouTube–https://www.youtube.com