In the words of Joe Buddens, “get a rachet, go home and just Chris Benoit”

AI is from the VA suburbs. He ain’t no thug. He is a imposter. He’s GANGSTALICIOUS. In 3yrs he’ll be chasing his Girlfriend and her Gay cousin out of the house with a bottle of Hen screaming “I’m the real American Gangsta”

Having kids grow up and want to play like AI isn’t a gift, it’s a crime to the game of basketball. You know how many fucking pickup games I’ve had wasted because of some dumb fuck wearing an AI jersey (complete with elbow wrap and shorts down to their ankles) decides to start jacking like he does? Then they are trying the ‘cross over’ and turning the ball over, over and over, then, even though they are 5’5, driving into the big men all day and getting rejected.

Fuck people who play like AI, and fuck AI. It’s horrible for the game of basketball, unless you only do 1on1s.

That kids saw AI play and wanted to play ball too, isn’t that a big deal? Is that not a gift?

If you’re telling me a legacy of inspiration is not worth putting in the HOF- even when added to the MVP and the scoring titles and being David to everyone’s Goliath- then the requirements for being in the HOF needs to be revisited.

On talent alone, is Stockton so head and shoulders above AI? Honestly? Don’t say Stockton was a better PG, because AI is not a PG, he’s a scorer. AI is not the team defender Stockton is, but was stockton ever the athletic, high-energy gambler AI was on D?

More importantly, has Stockton ever carried the hopes of an entire city the way AI did with Philadelphia?

And so what about the hairstyle? The elbow wrap? The sneakers? Fact is, whatever AI sported, kids wanted. AI had credibility; he almost never made the league because he had so many struggles in his life. AI represented the youth and the disadvantaged, and he brought hope to their struggles. He was looked up to. That’s what a cultural icon is.

Did anybody ever identify with Stockton enough to wear short shorts in a game?

You guys need to stop with the witty remarks and stop to think of a damned intelligent argument first. Sure they are not the same. One is a pure point white boy from the suburbs and the other is a flashy-playing black kid from the streets. So what? Talent is no respecter of locales.

So Stockton can make a perfect bounce pass. AI can dunk over guys much taller. The point is, the two are different, but both have their respective niche. Condemning AI as less of a player because he’s no Stockton is condemning a whole generation and style of play.

No matter what, AI legitimized a small scoring guard as a viable franchise player in the league.

Are you telling me that only Stockton’s style is HOF-worthy material? And here I was thinking the Hall of Fame was for people famous (or infamous) for their contributions to the game.

AI’s not HOF material?

Then why the hell are we putting Stockton in the Hall?

AI has just as much individual and team success as Stockton. AND, AI is the cultural icon that Stockton will never be.”

It isn’t the Cultural Relevancy Hall of Fame, it’s the basketball hall of fame- and anyhow, exactly what is AI’s contribution to culture? A hairstyle? Making elbow-wraps cool?

Stockton was a hundred times the team player Iverson has been, and basketball is a team sport. Stock is the all-time leader in assists and steals, and his team was consistently in the upper-echelon of the WC. Iverson’s going on his fourth team, and his third in the last three years. What has he accomplished, outside of fooling MVP voters into giving him an award that should have gone to Shaq.

If you know basketball, then you know that what AI does hurts a TEAM more than helps it. It would be great textbook basketball if he were competing in a 1on1 tournament or something…

All the guys you named were POINT guards, AI is a shooting guard. AI averages 6+ dimes a game for his career, not exactly a bad number for a shooting guard. Get your facts straight. What exactly did KJ win? He had a beast like Barkley on his team, got to the finals, nothing else. Adams, even worse, and many other guards there could not hold AI’s jock. Every true basketball player knows this. AI quit on Detroit, that is true, and it was wrong, yet no one player can destroy a team like that… they played well when Rip was injured… with AI in a scoring role. That coach sucked, everybody who knows basketball could see that. They fell apart against Cleveland in the Playoffs even though AI wasn’t even playing. The whole team had the wrong attitude except for some guys off the bench like Bynum, Afflalo. You must be stupid to put all the blame on Iverson.

I am not his dick rider, I just know basketball. You don’t. Period.

Yet even with all that, you d!ck riders will say Iverson is better than Billups because he can score more. Maybe that is the problem…

Tiny Archibald,Tim Hardaway, Michael Adams, Kevin Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and several other guards have put up simular or better numbers than Iverson. those guards were smart enough to pass the ball (they avg 9-10 assist) and SHARE with their team. Did it his way? you fucking Jagaloon. That’s exactly why he is scraping the bottom of the barrell right now for a job.

AI = most unstoppable little man ever. He belongs into the Hall. Unless you can show me 2 other players who can do what he did in the NBA scoringwise. We will never know whether or not he would have had more success had he played a more team-oriented brand of ball, but he was/is still a once-in-a-lifetime-talent. Plus he can say he did it his way. What America is all about, no?