Allen Iverson is an NBA legend, but he never got a chance to play with his dream teammate in the league.
Being the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, the expectations for Allen Iverson were to become the next big thing in the league.
While Iverson did win several accolades, including an NBA MVP, he never got his hands on the Larry O’Brien trophy.
A key reason behind that was the lack of elite teammates during his prime with the Philadelphia 76ers. Speaking of teammates, AI recently revealed that a Los Angeles Lakers legend was his dream teammate.
Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty ImagesAllen Iverson dreamed of playing with Shaquille O’Neal, but didn’t take the LeBron James approach
The legend in question is none other than Shaquille O’Neal, who was also an active player during Iverson’s time in the NBA.
However, Iverson clarified that he would have never teamed up with O’Neal. It’s something that LeBron James did with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat.
“First of all, I would never [team up like LeBron], people will think I’m full of s__ but it’s the truth. I would have loved to play with Shaq, definitely, that would have been my dream,” Iverson said.
“But I always felt like I was on a superteam. I’m on a court with four other pros, I’d never been on a court with pros before,” he added on The Stephen A. Smith Show.
This mentality of Iverson is what made Michael Jordan a fan of the 76ers legend. He never wanted to take the easy way out, even if it meant retiring without winning an NBA Championship.
Allen Iverson admits Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal duo stopped him from becoming an NBA champion
While Iverson never played with Shaq in the NBA, he did go up against him and Kobe Bryant during the 2001 NBA Finals.
It was a perfect David vs. Goliath matchup. Despite that, Iverson somehow managed to win Game 1 of the series, which stopped the Lakers from going 15-0 in the 2001 playoffs.
“Absolutely. We ran into a juggernaut. We ran into a squad that hadn’t lost a game in the playoffs,” Iverson said if he would have won a ring against any other team.
“If we hadn’t won Game 1, they would have gone down in history as arguably the best ever,” the 76ers legend concluded.
Despite retiring ringless, Iverson’s impact on the NBA can never be forgotten and he will always remain an iconic star.