Through the course of history, the NBA has witnessed some of the most talented players in the world. It’s an extremely long list of names, but what we have today are two of the best guards that have dominated their era. Introducing two superstar guards we all loved, Chris Paul and Allen Iverson. With their impact, influence, and numerous success on and off the court, who probably had the better career out of the two?
Accolades: Chris Paul
Chris Paul played four more seasons than Allen Iverson and would obviously achieve more. However, CP3 got most of his accolades in his prime which means the latter part of his career doesn’t count as much. Below is the comparison of Paul and Iverson’s resumes in the NBA:
| Chris Paul | Allen Iverson | |
| MVP | None | 1x |
| All-Star | 12x | 10x |
| All-NBA team | 11x | 7x |
| All-Defensive team | 9x | None |
| Championships | None | None |
| Scoring champion | None | 4x |
| Steals leader | 6x | 3x |
| All-Star Game MVP | 1x | 2x |
| 75th Anniversary team member | Yes | Yes |
If you look at it, Chris Paul has two more All-Star selections, 4 more All-NBA team selections, and had 9 All-Defensive teams compared to Allen Iverson’s zero. Not to mention, CP3 was the league’s steals leader six times. That’s three more than Iverson had. Well, the defense was truly not AI’s strongest suit. With that, a hall-of-fame career resume already separates these two players.
Influence: Allen Iverson
If kids in the ’90s wanted to be “like Mike”, then most definitely kids in the 2000s would only want to be like Kobe or like AI. Truly, Allen Iverson is one of the most influential basketball players in the modern era. As great as Chris Paul is, you probably haven’t heard of somebody yell they wanna be like CP3.
Y’all really on here saying ALLEN IVERSON is not one of the most influential ever!?!? pic.twitter.com/lYy1EntgJy
— ً (@JWepp) June 20, 2023
Not only that, but AI also influenced the fashion of ballers during his peak. The arm sleeve, the braids, the headband, and the overall getup during the game and also off-court.
Impact: Allen Iverson
In an era dominated by big men (e.g. Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki), AI probably started the trend where guards would step up and lead the league. Iverson’s moves were copied by almost all aspiring basketball players, and even street ballers had his moves too. His deadly crossover, athletic finishes in the rim, and fantastic ball-handling ability started a new breed of athletes.
This is another reason why Allen Iverson will always be one of my most favorite sports players, ever. He's ALWAYS been genuine, real, down to Earth, honest, and wasn't about his ego or image. But of course, this was the pre-social media era. pic.twitter.com/2euni189fa
— DeMarcusD (@DeMarcusOakLV) June 16, 2023
Leadership: Chris Paul
Obviously, Chris Paul a.k.a the Point God would be the better leader compared to Allen Iverson. CP3 is arguably one of the best floor generals in the game, if not the best. Every time he steps on the court, Paul will be the one to run the offense. He played with some of the best scorers in the game, but only he can facilitate the plays.
Tenure: Chris Paul
Obviously, Chris Paul had a longer run in the NBA. This will be his 18th year, and the 38-year-old star still probably has a few more good years in him. Despite being at that age, Paul can still contribute to a contender. He can still get 13 points and 8 assists on any given night. And now that Paul is with the Golden State Warriors, that would be a great finale for his career. Perhaps finally winning his first championship ring next season?
Chris Paul has scored more points against the Warriors (1,172) than any other team.
Now he plays for them. pic.twitter.com/VIo6hYsUeO
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 23, 2023
On the contrary, Allen Iverson only played for 14 seasons. In addition, in his last four seasons, it was obvious that AI was already slowing down. Iverson was drafted first overall in 1996 and was already a superstar after winning Rookie of the Year. However, by 2010, AI was already out of the league.
Hall-of-Fame: Both
Well, we have to give this one to both Chris Paul and Allen Iverson. Iverson was inducted in the 2016 Hall of Fame as a first-ballot nominee. On the other hand, CP3 is already a lock and will be enshrined once he retires.
All-time ranking: Chris Paul
This is a very close call, however, according to ESPN, Chris Paul is ranked higher than Allen Iverson in the top 75 players of all time (75th Year Anniversary team). Paul is No.29 on their list while Iverson is No.31.
It’s hard to argue, but considering about how high they achieved in the NBA would speak for itself.
Playoff success: Chris Paul
In 14 seasons, Allen Iverson only reached the playoffs eight (8) times. Aside from the 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003 playoff series, all the others were first-round exits. However, AI would make a great feat by making the NBA Finals in 2001, but would eventually fall against the Kobe-Shaq duo in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, Chris Paul made the playoffs from 2008 to 2023. Although he only reached the Finals once (2021), Paul would make numerous great runs with his former teams such as the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Hornets.
Overall, Chris Paul had a better career than Allen Iverson
In 8 categories, Chris Paul managed to get 6 of them. He had more success, achieved more accolades, played more seasons, was the better leader, ranked higher all-time, and is also a future Hall-of-Famer. Of course, that doesn’t mean he is the better player because that would be a different debate. But, in this case, CP3 obviously had a more fruitful NBA career than AI had.
Do you agree with our take? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us here at Spiel Times. Make sure you subscribe to our push notifications and never miss an update. You can also follow us on Spiel Anime, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Until next time!
