Allen Iverson Crossover. It's a basketball fan's YouTube search favorite. That, or Allen Iverson best crossover. Either search will end up with a tremendous result.
Whereas past ball handlers like Isiah Thomas and Tim Hardaway were effective for staying tight and quick with their dribbling actions, Iverson was one of the first to take his crossover from the outside.
Iverson had success in setting opposing defenders up for a drive to the rim with a slight hesitation when the ball got outside of his hips, then he would swing the ball back over to the other side to create space.
He also used elaborate setups. Hardaway's “killer crossover” developed with a quick one-two where he would go between the legs and quickly cross. Iverson set opponents up with a series of moves, including pauses and hesitations that gave him an advantage because of his quickness.
To celebrate Allen Iverson crossover moves, we put it together. We did it. Allen Iverson best crossover search queries are no longer needed.
5. Shaking the Lakers
This is more about the series of moves and the total package that made Iverson such a dangerous scorer.
He does not make anyone fall or put anyone on skates in this clip, but instead uses a series of stop-and-go moves combined with half-spins and hesitations to create separation from the defender:
(Skip to 2:04 for the clip)
Iverson sees that Shaquille O'Neal is the help defender, so he has no clear lane to the basket. But because he is so incredibly shifty and agile, he gets the separation he needs to make his initial drive. One he loses the primary defender, he uses that little hop step to get off a clean look.
This is not the flashiest of plays that Iverson made throughout his career, but it epitomizes what made him so fearless and pound for pound one of the best talents the NBA has ever seen.
4. Iverson drops Jacque Vaughn
In a word, this cross is ruthless.
Iverson was arguably at the peak of his powers in 2006. He set a career-high by averaging 33.0 points per game in 2006. The craziest part? He did so shooting just 3.1 three-pointers per game. Can you imagine Stephen Curry averaging 30-plus without dominating the perimeter? Me neither.
Vaughn initially looks to have the upper hand here. He catches Iverson off balance and gets into his body, forcing him all the way back to the timeline.
But, Iverson being Iverson, he finds a way to make something happen:
(Skip to 0:20 for the clip)
Iverson creates the first bit of separation by crossing to his right hand after faking a drive left. You can see that Vaughn respected the cross to the right initially, so Iverson just drove and then pivoted.
Once A.I. got the ball in his right hand, it was over. He immediately uses another “hesi” to set up the drive, then pulls the ball back between his legs to his left hand. Vaughn was already out of position because of the hesitation, and he falls accordingly.
Just to add insult to injury, Iverson adds one final cross before knocking down the jumper. Wow.
3. Troy Daniels has fallen and he can't get up!
Poor Troy Daniels. This is probably the most memorable moment of his career.
Later on in the 2005-06 season, Iverson broke out one of the most crowd-shaking moves in history, making Daniels fall twice before gliding to the rim for two:
Iverson uses his body in a Jordanesque fashion here, using the contact to initiate a quick pullback that sends Daniels sprawling. but just when Troy tries to get up, Iverson crosses back to his right once again, and Daniels is left in a crumpled heap on the floor.
You know it's a spectacular move when Brent Musburger raises his voice a few decibels.
2. Getting one over on the GOAT
Iverson established himself as one of the best players in the NBA almost immediately during his rookie season, averaging 23.5 points, 7.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds during the 1996-97 season.
He put the whole league on notice by making one of the greatest players and defenders in NBA history look absolutely foolish.
The Sixers took on the Chicago Bulls in March of 1997, marking their third matchup of the season. The first two matchups did not go as planned. The Bulls gave Iverson a rude welcome in his second game in the NBA, holding him to just 15 points on 4-of-13 shooting. While Iverson put up 32 in the next contest against Chicago, he committed nine turnovers.
But in the third game, Iverson seized his opportunity. Jordan switched onto the rookie guard, and Iverson proved just what kind of “bucket” he would be for opposing defenses throughout his career:
Again, Iverson uses the wide angle and hesitation to set Jordan up. He gives him a little “baby” cross to see if he could catch him off balance, then goes even wider to get back to his preferred right side.
Jordan gets back in position to contest, but it was too late. Iverson put him on the highlight reel.
Needless to say, Jordan would recover from the incident.
1. Stepping over Ty Lue
Iverson created one of the most iconic NBA Finals moments merely by hitting a jump shot…in a series his team would go on to lose in five games.
That speaks to gravitas he possessed during his heyday.
In fact, Iverson was sort of a LeBron figure (during his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers) before LeBron got to the league in 2003. He won the 2000-01 NBA MVP award after carrying a weak Sixers supporting cast to 56 wins and a berth in the NBA Finals.
The Sixers were massive underdogs against the defending champion Lakers, who were led by an established Shaq and a Kobe Bryant that was coming into his own as a superstar. The series looked like a total mismatch.
At least it looked that way, right up until Iverson helped the Sixers steal Game 1 in L.A. after he dropped 48 points and put Tyronn Lue on reels for all eternity.
The game went into overtime as both teams battled to get the upper hand. Philly had a two-point lead in the final minute when the ball found its way to Iverson in the corner.
Lue actually plays pretty good defense, shading Iverson toward the help defense. But all Iverson needs is an inch. He is, “The Answer,” after all.
Iverson drives baseline, then gives Lue a between-the-legs step back to create the necessary separation for a clean look. Lue contests, but he trips and falls over Iverson as the shot goes in, and Iverson–with the kind of brashness that perfectly defines his career–steps over the journeyman point guard in defiance:
The funniest part is Laker forward Horace Grant giving Lue a little nudge on the back.
Why is this the biggest crossover of Iverson's career? The moment, the stakes, everything that went into this one game. It did not even matter that the Lakers swept the next four to repeat as champs.
This one moment encapsulated everything about Iverson: his ability, his arrogance and his unwavering desire to compete on the biggest stage.
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