The Allen Iverson stepover on Tyronn Lue is one of the most iconic moments in NBA history. It defined what Iverson was – a fierce competitor, who was ready and able to drop anybody who stepped up to him.
It happened in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals. The Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers. The Sixers had no chance against the Shaq and Kobe Lakers, who blew through the Western Conference unbeaten in those NBA playoffs.
The 76ers were a solid squad, but Iverson was their sole offensive weapon. Kobe and Shaq averaged 29 and 30 points per game (respectively) in the playoffs that year. Iverson was up against it. This should have been a sweep.
But it wasn’t.
The Lakers won the 2001 NBA championship in five games, but the barely six-foot Iverson dropped 48 points in the Sixers’ 107-101 overtime win in Game 1. This included the famous Allen Iverson stepover.
The game was tense, but AI was not backing down from the monster that was LA. The AI stepover was more a statement of this than personal with Lue.
Tyronn Lue was a scrappy defender, willing to get all in Iverson’s body. He didn’t seem like he cared if he got crossed over or dropped. That type of defender is an offensive player’s nightmare. This made for a perfect basketball battle.
The 2001 NBA MVP put fear in every defense, inspiring a generation that included Dwyane Wade.
Iverson spoke about the stepover:
Here is Ty Lue’s take on the stepover on JJ Redick’s podcast The Old Man & the Three:
Lue is a good sport about it, and has a good attitude about the stepover:
“When you play hard, you gon get dunked on, you gon get crossed over….And then guess what? I’ll always be in NBA history – they gon show it all the time. So I’m always going to be relevant, whatever happens.”
All true, because, here we are over 20 years later, talking about it.
Ty Lue’s defense was actually solid on the play. A good defender can’t be scared to get embarrassed. Shake it off, and get ready for the next play.
In 20 years, we’ll still be talking about this iconic moment in NBA history.
