Allen Iverson loves Russell Westbrook because Westbrook is 2015 Iverson

Adi Joseph

Allen Iverson loves Russell Westbrook because Westbrook is 2015 Iverson image

Russell Westbrook is both a throwback to a past era and a defining star of the current one. The Thunder point guard is aggressive, cocksure and incredibly talented. No one can stay in front of him, and those who try often get embarrassed.

In other words, Westbrook is 2015 Allen Iverson. So it made sense that Iverson called Westbrook his favorite point guard of the current generation Friday in a Facebook Q&A promoting his new Showtime documentary . “Westbrook no doubt. He’s a certified killer. Beast,” Iverson answered in response to the question from someone named Rainbow Good Bear.

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“Certified killer” is the key phrase there. Iverson and Westbrook represent a very specific aesthetic among NBA superstars. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were great scorers. Oscar Robertson and LeBron James were dominant do-everything playmakers.

Iverson and Westbrook are cut from a different cloth, somewhere between Pete Maravich’s anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better flash and Rick Barry’s knife-through-your-heart-at-all-costs aggression.

Westbrook’s bigger, obviously, with his muscular 6-3 frame making him more adept for the punishment he takes. But the man played days after getting a metal plate in his face. Iverson, generously listed at 6-0 in his days with the 76ers, was the smallest guy on the court and took the most punishment, falling again and again but always getting back up.

The beauty is in the ugliness. It easily could be argued Iverson and Westbrook hurt their teams with their selfishness. Iverson shot 42.5 percent from the field for his career, Westbrook 43.2 percent. Each averaged 3.6 turnovers a game. They gambled on defense and offense, always putting all their chips on their own numbers.

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Westbrook came unleashed this season because of Kevin Durant’s defense. We got a chance to see what he’d be like if left to his own devices, and the answer was “The Answer.” Check out this basketball-reference.com comparison between Iverson’s 2000-01 NBA MVP season and Westbrook’s 2014-15:

Westbrook did more things (though Iverson had more well-rounded seasons than that one later in his career), and was a constant triple-double threat. But the high-volume, life-or-death style of play was there for both, evidenced in similar shot selection and free throw rate. Then there’s the fashion (different eras, same careful branding), the attitude and the ego.

Iverson has remained a cult figure among basketball fans, which is why Showtime is releasing his eponymous documentary . The Facebook chat, where he also picked Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal as his dream teammates in a Big 3 formation and said he likes Ronda Rousey, was part of that promotion.

Westbrook has a ways to go before he gets to that status. But he has the ability, the swagger and the charisma to match even the NBA’s smallest giant.

Adi Joseph

Adi Joseph Photo