Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving was sensational in this year’s NBA Finals. (Ezra Shaw/Pool Photo via AP)
Kevin Durant said he didn’t want it to “get out,” but that’s not really how podcasts work, and now a debate has been ignited. Who’s better, Kyrie Irving or Allen Iverson?
According to Durant, it’s the guy who just lit up his Warriors squad — again — in the NBA Finals, albeit in a losing effort this time. “Kyrie is better than AI to me,” the Golden State star said recently on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
“I’m going from, like, skill for skill,” Durant told Simmons, adding that Irving’s “handle is better” than that of Iverson.
[Durant’s mother got Stephen A. Smith to say, ‘I’m sorry’]
Those are some major claims, given that Iverson is a Hall of Famer, one widely regarded as the best small — by NBA standards — player of his day. The former Georgetown and 76ers star won four NBA scoring titles, was an 11-time all-star and was named the league’s MVP in 2001, when he led Philadelphia to the Finals.
The 25-year-old Irving, a former No. 1 overall pick and NBA rookie of the year, as Iverson was, has four all-star selections in six seasons with the Cavaliers. He also has the championship that Iverson never quite attained and three trips to the Finals overall, although many would point out that Iverson never had a teammate as dominant as LeBron James.
“I was telling some of my friends after Game 2, I was like, Kyrie, he just makes you happy when you watch him play,” Durant told Simmons. “You just smile when you watch him play, because for somebody to be that skilled, you know he had to work tirelessly at it.
“The stuff he has in his package is next-level stuff that you can try to teach your kids to do it, but you’ll never be able to do it.”
Noting that Irving is just “6-2” (he’s officially listed at 6-3), Durant marveled, “I’ve never seen anyone block his layup.” He added, “I never seen nobody like him.”
For those who scoffed at Kevin Durant saying Kyrie Irving is better than Allen Iverson was, here's both through six seasons… pic.twitter.com/barOutOGar — Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) June 14, 2017
For his part, Iverson recently heaped praise on Durant and said that he was happy to see the 2014 MVP get his first championship. In a video posted Wednesday by the Big3, the three-on-three basketball league in which Iverson is set to star, he said, “I wanted to see Durant win, because he ain’t never did it.
“I love his mama. I love everything he stands for,” Iverson said. “That’s the only reason I was going for Golden State. I wanted Durant to feel what I never got the chance to feel.”
[Durant has ‘love’ for Rihanna, but she still is all about LeBron James]
Iverson also said, “I love Kyrie,” as well as Cavs Coach Tyronn Lue, whom “The Answer” famously stepped over in the 2001 Finals. His highest praise was reserved for James, whom Iverson called “the best in the world.”
“Sometimes the better team beats you, man. They got beat by the better team. It happened to me before,” Iverson said, adding that “LeBron’s going to win some more [championships].”
You want to know how Allen Iverson feels about Kevin Durant? pic.twitter.com/k2Au5Rdin3 — BIG3 (@thebig3) June 14, 2017
On his podcast, Simmons got the comparison going by saying of Irving, “He has more ways to score than any point guard I’ve ever seen. He’s a much better shooter than Iverson was, and he’s taller.”
At that point, Durant made his “Kyrie is better” remarks, causing Simmons to laugh at the controversy sure to erupt over Durant’s claims.
“We might have to cut that out — I don’t want no problems with AI,” Durant said, chuckling. “Y’all might have to cut that one. I don’t want that to get out. I’m just saying I feel like Kyrie got more skill.”
(H/T Slam)