Allen Iverson shared his list of the top five NBA players of all time this week, and he included a few obvious choices along with one surprise.
A Hall of Famer and member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, Iverson’s list included three fellow guards. It also included the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and arguably the game’s most dominant inside presence since Wilt Chamberlain.
“Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Shaquille O’Neal,” Iverson told CBS News.
Iverson’s inclusions of Jordan and James are no-brainers as they are universally considered as arguably the greatest basketball players of all-time. Bryant is also not terribly surprising as was one of the most prolific scorers the game has ever seen. Bryant was also a five-time NBA champion who won one of his titles at Iverson’s expense.
Speaking of that, Bryant’s former teammate, O’Neal, may have played the biggest role in Iverson falling short of winning an NBA title. After Iverson dropped 48 points in the 76ers’ upset of the Lakers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, O’Neal (who had 44 points and 20 rebounds in Los Angeles’ Game 1 loss) responded with another dominant performance in an NBA Finals series.
The reigning league and NBA Finals MVP, O’Neal averaged 33 points, 15.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.4 blocks per game while leading the Lakers to four straight wins en route to the Lakers’ second consecutive title. O’Neal and Bryant (who averaged 24.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 steals) did enough to hold off the 76ers and Iverson, who in defeat averaged a series-best 35.6 points per game.
Curry may be Iverson’s most surprising inclusion in that he is rarely mentioned in such conversations. That being said, Curry has a pretty good argument to be in those talks as he changed the way the game is played.
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The NBA’s career leader in 3-point makes, Curry has made 3-point shooting a much more frequent shot option. A generation of future players grew up watching and wanting to emulate Curry’s jaw-dropping 3-points shots. The result has been a game-changer for the NBA, as 3-point shots are being being attempted at a record pace.
On top of that, Curry was also the leader of the NBA’s greatest dynasty since the Gregg Popovich/Tim Duncan Spurs. From 2025-22, Curry led the Warriors to four NBA titles and six NBA Finals appearances that included five straight from 2015-19.
As far as individual awards are concerned, Curry is two-time league MVP. He won his coveted NBA Finals MVP after leading Golden State to a six-game series win over the Celtics in the 2022 Finals.
Curry’s unique style clearly inspired a general of younger players who wanted to be like him. His style has also been lauded by many former players, Iverson included.
“Never seen anything like it in my life,” Iverson said of Curry, who will begin his 17th regular season when the Warriors face the Lakers in Los Angeles on Oct. 21.