Allen Iverson feels honored to get high praise from LeBron James

Allen Iverson is one of the most influential basketball players of all time. LeBron James can also count himself on that list, which gives his words on the sport weight. James praised iverson on his new podcast with JJ Redick. He called Iverson and Stpeh Curry the two most influential players since he started watching basketball.

James praised Iverson for his style. He told Redick how Curry and Iverson inspired more up-and-coming players than anyone else given their height and frame.

“Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I have been watching,” James said. “They were just so relatable. Kids felt like they could be them, they were guys that were not always counted on. They were small in stature and they defied the odds.”

James also sees Iverson’s influence every night on the floor. His fashion influence reigns today.

“Everyone wears an arm sleeve now because of Allen Iverson,” James said.

Iverson aka The Answer was honored by the praise from The King. He commented on the post on instagram:

“It’s a honor for you to feel this way. Love you Lil Bro! Feels good to get the flowers while you can still smell them,” Iverson said.

The two clearly have mutual respect for each other. They have 31 All-Star appearances and five MVP awards between them (four for James and one for Iverson).

The two basketball legends shared an NBA floor 18 times. Iverson averaged 25.8 points and 7.7 assists per game in those contests. He scored more than 30 points seven times against the young James. James averaged 28.6 points, 7.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds in those 18 games. He put up more than 30 points 10 times.

Allen Iverson statue coming in April

Allen Iverson is due for more praise soon as he will have a statue dedicated to him by the Philadelphia 76ers. The statue will be at the Sixers' practice facility and will be revealed in April.

Iverson had his jersey number retired and raised to the rafters in Philly. Iverson’s statue will be revealed in a ceremony on April 12. He will also receive an in-game honorary ceremony on April 14 when the Sixers host the Brooklyn Nets. Iverson will be the 10th former Sixer to get a statue in the 76ers' Legends Walk.

He is already a Hall of Famer. The four-time league scoring champion is one of the best Sixers of all time and led them to the NBA Finals in 2001, where they lost to the Kobe-Shaq led LA Lakers. Iverson also played for the Denver Nuggets, and briefly for the Detroit Pistons at the end of his career.