Allen Iverson reveals his all-time starting five

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As former NBA players appear on different podcasts, there’s usually a degree of uncertainty regarding which names might be overlooked when they construct their all-time starting five. However, when Allen Iverson was posed with the question, he left no room for ambiguity. The 2001 MVP confidently listed what he deemed the strongest starting five of all time, even if it didn’t include himself.

“Steph… No, I ain’t in it,” the crafty guard said. “Let me tell you my whole lineup – Steph, Kobe, Mike, Bron, and Diesel.”

Iverson on which player he’ll remove

After listening to his iconic starting five, host – Adam Leftkoe pointed out to ‘The Answer’ that he needed to include himself in his starting five, which meant removing one of the players he mentioned. Without hesitation, Iverson humorously stated that he would remove Shaquille O’Neal.

“Now you have to go in it; who you taking out?” Leftkoe asked. To which A.I. replied, “Shaq!”

A.I. on what he would average in this era

Moving on from this topic, when questioned about his potential scoring average in today’s NBA, given the reduced physicality and increased foul calls, the 1997 ROY expressed unwavering confidence while asserting that he would easily average more than 40 points per game in a single season

“I lost the scoring title to Kobe, the year he averaged 35, I averaged 33,” Iverson added. “And just thinking like if I was to play in this era, wide open, I’mma just take it up to 43.”

Moreover, according to Iverson, the same principle applies to ‘The Big Aristotle.’ During the era when the 15-time All-Star dominated the league, he faced off against some of the greatest and most physical big men, including Patrick Ewing, Arvydas Sabonis, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson, among others. That’s why Iverson had no doubts that O’Neal if playing in today’s era, would put up ‘godly numbers’ playing against comparatively less imposing and bulky centers.