Allen Iverson explains why his MJ crossover is better than his Tyronn Lue stepover

Allen Iverson made one of his most famous plays as a rookie.

This month marks the 20th anniversary of one of Allen Iverson’s most iconic moments—the time he shook Michael Jordan with a vicious crossover. 

It was March 12, 1997, during Iverson’s rookie season. The Sixers were in the midst of a dismal season that would see them finish with just 22 wins, second from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, while Jordan’s Bulls won 69 games that year. The Sixers were able to hang tight in the game, though, thanks in large part to Iverson’s 37 points. The game is remembered for one play in particular, however—Iverson’s ankle-breaking crossover on Jordan. 

Iverson appeared on SportsCenter on Tuesday night with Jemele Hill and Michael Smith and was asked whether that moment was more memorable than stepping over Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals. 

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“You gotta say the Mike joint,” Iverson said. “Because he was the greatest player ever to play the game.”

Iverson also recounted a conversation he and Jordan had about the play years later.

“I was telling him how much I loved him and admired him, and how much he was my hero,” Iverson said. “He was like, ‘I couldn’t have been too much of a hero to you if you crossed me like that.’”