The evolution of talent throughout league history has been insane. One thing that has grown with it is isolation plays. From Bob Cousy's one-hand dribble, Steve Nash constantly pushing the pace to Kyrie Irving's crossover, and Stephen Curry's dribble to shot mechanic, players have learned to master the art of handling the ball.
One person, in particular, was so good that he made playing defense hard for Michael Jordan. He also left an indelible mark on all of sports culture. Allen Iverson knows exactly who the NBA's best magician with the ball is.
Allen Iverson went on The Big Podcast with Shaq and was asked about his ball-handling skills. The great NBA isolation scorer got the question, “Steve Nash was asked recently to compare Kyrie to you. I think he was saying that Kyrie has a more complete handle package. Is that something you agree with?”
Iverson had a great answer that praised the Dallas Mavericks star, “Hell, yeah! He got your best. Kyrie has the best. He's the best.”
Another person's name that was thrown in the mix was Stephen Curry. His savvy style of play mixed with an insane shooting stroke surely made the Golden State Warriors legend a contender in the conversation.
However, Iverson points out that it is not Curry's handles that work out most of the time, per se. Instead, he thinks that the insane range to shoot from anywhere on the court bails the star out sometimes. This is why he had to give the crown to Irving, who has mastered all forms of ankle-breaking plays at the NBA level.
Kyrie Irving and his insane handles
Dropping a player during a regular-season game is a normal occurrence in the NBA. A lot of the individuals within the league have a crossover package that would cook players who spent their career in the 1960s to '90s. However, Kyrie Irving's handles show up when a team needs them the most.
After LeBron James blocked Andre Iguodala in the 2016 NBA Finals, it was Irving's time to shine. He created his own highlight by hitting Curry with a crossover and then slowly fading away to get a 3-pointer. This is now immortalized in league history as “The Shot” and will forever be remembered that way.
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