Where Does Allen Iverson Rank Among All-Time Great Shooting Guards?
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- ESPN is ranking the top ten best players in NBA history by position and on Wednesday, the list was revealed for the shooting guard position. That means it was time to see if Allen Iverson made the list.
It really isn't so much "if," as much as it is "where."
Iverson is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame and is arguably a first-ballot Hall of Famer. So where did he falls in these rankings?
According to the rankings, Iverson is the 6th best shooting guard to ever play the game.
Finishing ahead of Iverson, from No. 1 to No. 5, were Michael Jordan (of course), Kobe Bryant, Jerry West, Dwayne Wade and Clyde Drexler.
Iverson is often considered the "pound for pound," greatest to ever play the game due to his stature. With that said, the five players ahead of him on the list are all much bigger shooting guards.
They all also won championships during their careers. Not to make an excuse for Iverson, but just taking the Sixers years into account, he never played with a cast that came close to the ones that supported the above players.
Did these rankings get this spot correct for Iverson. Just going by the numbers, you have to say no.
Iverson averaged more points per game for his career (26.7) than Bryant, Wade and Drexler. He also averaged more assists than all of the players above him aside from Jerry West.
Iverson also has an NBA MVP Award (West, Wade and Drexler don't), 11 All-Star selections (more than Drexler) and four scoring titles (more than Drexler (0), Wade (1), West and Bryant (2)).
The Answer could easily have been No. 4 or 5 on this list, but his appearance on it is honor enough. It's hard to come to a consensus on these type of things, but in one writer's humble opinion, these rankings messed up.
Behind Iverson on the list from No. 7 to No. 10 are George Gervin, Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Earl Monroe.
