Better Career: Ray Allen or Allen Iverson ?

[stickyrice]

When reading the other day that Ray past Iverson in career points I wondered if Ray actually had a better career or not. I'm the biggest Ray Allen fan but I also respect Iversons game and the things he did during his prime. Both came in the league together and both are first ballet HOFers. It's a fair argument and helps take a break from all these tournament threads.

 

[chapwilvaug72]

I know this much: ray ray never delivered UCONN to a final 4.

 

[Vuce]

I know this much: ray ray never delivered UCONN to a final 4.

If we are comparing.....Iverson never delivered Georgetown to a Final Four either.

 

[BugsyCT]

If we're talking NBA only, it's Ray Ray IMO - played on 2 NBA title teams and is the all-time 3-point king.

 

[stickyrice]

Yes Ray does have the championships and is one of the best shooters ever but most of us are impartial. What would a basketball fan outside of Uconn and Georgetown think?

 

[amory]

Ray's body of work throughout his whole career puts him above Iverson, IMO. But my god was Iverson fun to watch at his peak.

 

[Huskybass]

Iverson had a great NBA career. However, I think Ray gets the nod based on 2 championships, his 3 point shooting records, and the fact that at age 38 he is still getting it done, like the other night when he scored 25 points to lead the Heat to a victory. Iverson has been overseas for a couple of years.

I will say that AI is the best NBA player ever for his size. I don't think another guy listed at 6' even comes close.

 

[UMass]

I agree that Ray edges out Iverson for all the reasons above..ie. 3 point record, 2 championship teams, etc......plus the fact that through it all he remains one of the true "class acts" in the NBA.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Overall body of work: Ray Allen.

Peak of their game: AI.

Ray has a tremendous legacy being one of
the game's all time clutch shooters, in addition to being the 3 point leader and a 2 time champion.

Iverson though at his peak was hist simply better and could carry a team by himself. That 76ers team he took to the finals may have been the weakest finals team ever. Love Ray, but those Sonics teams where he was " the go to guy" never did much of anything. And yes, I'm well aware of the talent discrepancy between the east/ west those years.

 

[patrick]

Hands down it's Ray!
Ray is better during games and he doesn't have a problem going to practice!

Watch "Original Allen Iverson Practice Rant" on YouTube
Original Allen Iverson Practice Rant:

 

[Silk City]

It's apples to oranges.

Ray will be known for being the 3 point king, a class act and his legendary shot in Game 6 this year.

Iverson will be known for his crossover, the stomp over Tyronn Lue, and the aforementioned practice video. Ultimately, though, Iverson was and still is a cultural icon. I would give him the nod simply because the NBA is a star-driven league and his entertainment value definitely ups the overall legacy of his career.

Case in point: I was at a Sixers game a couple weeks ago and they introduced Iverson sitting courtside late in the game. He got an immediate standing ovation and a couple of guys on the Pistons went over to hug him, this was during the game while someone was getting ready to go to the free throw line. These guys grew up wanting to be Allen Iverson, no knock on RayRay at all because again these guys took almost opposite paths to NBA success.

 

[Huskybass]

We talkin' bout practice...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Cultural impact, class act?

We talking basketball, not your pre conceived notions about someone.

 

[Hoophound]

If Ray had played in LA or a major east coast city in his prime he'd be much more appreciated. Go back and watch Sonic and Bucks videos of Ray, he was a great, great player.

Iverson is a legend but he took a lot of heat for not making the players around him better. I tend to think that was more because he knew most of them sucked, so I don't view it that way.

Overall, I'd say Iverson was the better player but Ray without question has had a better career. He has lasted much longer, won two titles thus far and most importantly, is highly respected personally and professionally. It is just a shame that Ray won't be remembered for what he was at his best because he was so much more than a shooter.

 

[borninansonia]

Iverson had a great NBA career. However, I think Ray gets the nod based on 2 championships, his 3 point shooting records, and the fact that at age 38 he is still getting it done, like the other night when he scored 25 points to lead the Heat to a victory. Iverson has been overseas for a couple of years.

I will say that AI is the best NBA player ever for his size. I don't think another guy listed at 6' even comes close.

Tiny Archibald. If I recall correctly, he won the scoring and assist title in the same year. I think he was the best player of his size (was he smaller than AI?) ever.

 

[huskies20]

AI had more dominant single seasons but over the career it is Ray because of the production over time and the rings. Not to mentioion the biggest shot in the history of the NBA.

 

[ZenConn]

I will say that AI is the best NBA player ever for his size. I don't think another guy listed at 6' even comes close.

Calvin Murphy has a say about that.

 

[cordeodato]

Iverson never made anyone around him better.
Sure we all enjoyed his pure athleticism but I hated hjs game. Ray hands down. I am not a huge NBA fan, mainly because of players like AI. It is boring. Patrick Ewing the same thing with the Knicks. Yeah he was a great player but i couldn't stand to watch him. One man teams are horrible to watch. AI could only be on a one man team. He was very limited in that respect

 

[caw]

AI was a better player at their respective peaks.

Ray has had a better career.

I think teams probably worried about AI more in pregame planning but if came down to a last second shot they feared Ray more.

 

[Scoe]

In his prime I'm taking AI, I think he was better then even Kobe in his prime. Career wise I'm taking Ray. AI made bad teams into good teams but couldn't make good teams into better teams. Ray had to accept a lesser role as a star when he joined the Celtics and of course the Heat thats something AI could never do. Iverson joined the Nuggets they were exciting to watch but him and Melo was a bad combination, then he gets traded to the Pistons for Billups, the Pistons got worse and the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals under Billups. Nonetheless both are first ballot HOF.

Who do you think Ray and AI introducing them into the HOF? It has to be a current HOF when they get inducted, I say for AI its Larry Brown and for Ray its JC.

 

[Waquoit]

Iverson was clueless. His game never grew. He just balled and that just wasn't good enough. He missed more shots than anyone. That video says it all. Magic wasn't too good for practice. If only he went the same route as AI and never developed that baby hook.

 

[intlzncster]

AI had more dominant single seasons but over the career it is Ray because of the production over time and the rings. Not to mentioion the biggest shot in the history of the NBA.

There's a number of players who could argue that one, Michael Jordan included.

 

[intlzncster]

In his prime I'm taking AI, I think he was better then even Kobe in his prime. Career wise I'm taking Ray. AI made bad teams into good teams but couldn't make good teams into better teams. Ray had to accept a lesser role as a star when he joined the Celtics and of course the Heat thats something AI could never do. Iverson joined the Nuggets they were exciting to watch but him and Melo was a bad combination, then he gets traded to the Pistons for Billups, the Pistons got worse and the Nuggets made it to the Western Conference Finals under Billups. Nonetheless both are first ballot HOF.

Come on, really? Kobe in his prime was one of the top 5 players I've ever seen. AI, while well rated, was not top 5. Defense, offense, shot making, killer instinct, Kobe was pretty much complete.

 

[boog204]

AI was the bigger star at his peak and will go down as the bigger star in history. Ray's whole body of work is better but he was a 2 time All-NBA player while AI was a 7 timer. AI has more all star games, too, despite flaming out earlier. Ray was a very, very good player at his peak. AI was great at his. I feel like AI is also underrated in that he never had much talent around him in Philly. If you look at his finals year (2001) he was the 2G w/ Eric Snow, George Lynch, Tyrone Hill, and Mutombu. That's a hideous offensive team. Off the bench was Aaron McKie, Raja Bell, KO, Matt Geiger, and Jumaine Jones.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

More talented: AI, not really that close.
Better Career: Shuttlesworth, close but clear enough

I loved AI, but I think he and Kobe fall into the Dominque Wilkins school of thought. Highly talented prolific scorers, but way too inefficient to be considerded truly great. I throw Melo into that group as well, but I don't think he is quite as good as either AI or Kobe.