Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Gilbert Arenas Feared Allen Iverson So Much That He’d Rather Guard Kobe Bryant Instead Of Him

As soon as he came into the league, Allen Iverson quickly made his mark as one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, getting a ton of respect and recognition from his peers and fans in general. 

In only his rookie year, he averaged 23.5 points and 7.5 assists per game, while leaving us one of the most memorable plays in NBA history – his killer crossover against Michael Jordan who was one of the best defensive players at that time.

His quickness and ability to pull a series of moves to shake off whoever was guarding him made Iverson such a fearsome offensive player. Even Gilbert Arenas, who once competed against some of the best scorers of all-time, feared Iverson so much that he’d rather guard Kobe Bryant instead of him.

“I always say Allen was like that white boy player in high-school that played balls hard. He is playing 150 miles per hour the whole time. Him getting a steal here to him saving the ball, jumping four rows to the stands. Somehow he gets out of that and made a layup. That was his hustle.”

“I would rather guard Kobe than Allen. With Kobe, he is going to go to his spots, and he is playing through the offense. He would get the ball, see if he has a good look, pass it, but Allen, as soon as he got the ball, he wanted to go and try to score.”

“If he didn’t, he would pass the ball, get it back, and then try to score. And don’t have a number 3, and if you wore number 3, he took it personally,” Arenas said.