Thanks to Stephen A. Smith and the power of the internet, this debate is now trending on Twitter: Who is the better basketball player, Kyrie Irving or Allen Iverson?
It definitely is an intriguing debate, because it's close talent wise. But when you take a look at the resume's, it starts to become very obvious. Let's compare.
Allen Iverson career achievements: 11x All-Star, 4x scoring champ, 3x steals leader, 3x All-NBA First Team, 1x MVP, Hall Of Famer
Allen Iverson career stats: Retired after 14 seasons; 26.7 points per game, 6.2 assists per game, 3.7 rebounds per game, 2.2 steals per game, 51.8 true shooting percentage
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Kyrie Irving career achievements: 7x All-Star, 1x NBA champion
Kyrie Irving career stats: Currently in season number 10 at age 29; 22.7 points per game, 5.7 assists per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, 57.5 true shooting percentage
Verdict: Obviously, Irving's resume doesn't sniff Iverson's. The argument for Irving, however, is that he's only 29 and time is on his side.
The biggest anti-Iverson argument is that his career didn't last very long. We all know AI gave 100-percent on game day, but during the offseason working out / taking care of his body wasn't Iverson's thing and it may have cost him on the backend of his career, which only lasted until age 34. In fact, Iverson's final full season played was at age 32.
Both players are certainly phenomenal, but it's hard to construct a case for Irving over Iverson, at least right now.
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