Despite their rollercoaster of a relationship during their time together with the Sixers, there's no denying that Larry Brown and Allen Iverson had quite a bond. Brown is without a doubt an authority on most things Allen Iverson, and the 81-year-old coach has now spoken out about the comparisons between AI and Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant.
Morant's dazzling style of play has both fans and pundits raving about this young man's elite potential. Unsurprisingly, the Grizzlies stud has been likened to one of the greatest guards to have ever picked up a basketball in Allen Iverson.
For his part, Brown admitted that he's long been a fan of Morant. According to the Hall of Fame head coach, the comparisons between Ja and AI are indeed warranted:
“I watched him [in college] but I couldn’t predict this,’’ Brown told Marc Berman of The New York Post. “He reminds me so much of Allen [Iverson] athletically the way he pays. Fearless. That whole [Grizzlies] team they have a great camaraderie. They all seem to love each other. He’s so special.
“The things Ja does, I remember sitting on the bench in Philly, looking at staff and seeing Allen do something and we all laughed because we never seen anyone doing anything like that. I get the same feeling watching Ja play. And a lot of our kids go to their games.’’
Brown served as the head coach for the Sixers for six seasons and throughout that period he had the privilege of coaching Iverson. Together, they won the Eastern Conference title in 2001. Brown knows Iverson extremely well and for him to speak this highly of Morant says a lot about the Grizzlies' young star.
Brown also makes an excellent point about Morant's marketability. Like Iverson in the 2000s, the younger generation has now also gravitated towards Morant. There's no denying that Ja is one of the most popular players in the NBA right now and it's also true that this young man has the makings of being the face of the NBA in the not-so-distant future. Even Allen Iverson himself seems to think so.
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