Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Stephen Curry on Allen Iverson comparison: I 'gotta bet on myself'

Originally posted on Game 7 | By Jennifer Withers Hoey | Last updated 1/13/22

Stephen Curry and Allen Iverson are two of the greatest "little" guards in NBA history. Both were immensely successful, and each one could go off for 50 points without warning.

A lot of modern-day hoops fans wouldn’t believe it, but despite not averaging 20 points per game in either of his last two seasons, Iverson has a higher career scoring average than Curry. He averaged 26.7 points per game, whereas Curry’s career average is currently 24.3.

Of course, Curry is the more efficient scorer of the two, and he also happens to be the greatest three-point shooter of all time.

During a recent interview with GQ, Curry addressed once and for all how he feels about the Iverson comparisons. He then took it one step further and revealed who he believed would win in a matchup between the two.

“That is a great question when I tried cornrows. I would take prime Iverson cornrows over prime Steph cornrows first and foremost,” he said. “But on the court, I modeled a lot of the ball-handling stuff after what AI did. But still, gotta bet on myself… without the cornrows.”

Iverson is one of the most respected legends the sport of basketball has ever witnessed. One of his former teammates credits him with saving his career; another referred to him as the "best" athlete he had ever seen.

As fans learned with Kobe Bryant, it’s vital to give players their flowers while you still can. In that spirit, it’s important to keep bringing him up and telling stories about him so that the new generation of hoops watchers can fully appreciate what a little beast he was.

Whether it’s informing them about his massive 2030 trust fund, his relationship with Michael Jordan or even the more intimate details of his personal life, fans need be educated on the Sixers legend.

As far as who would beat who is a hypothetical matchup between Curry and Iverson? Well, that’s for each individual fan to decide for themselves.

This article first appeared on Game 7 and was syndicated with permission.

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