Allen Iverson revolutionized the NBA more than any other player

Con, you make good points, thanks for responding. To counter the points you made countering mine: 1) I never said Iverson was the shortest player, in fact, i specifically mentioned how there have been many good short ballers before him. As you said, Spud Webb was the pioneer of the short players, as he (in my opinion unjustly) won the slam dunk contest in 1986. However, none of these players 6 feet and under have dominated like AI did. Spud Webb's career PPG average is under 10. For a ten year period when AI played for the Sixers, he was arguably the best scorer in the league. No other short player scored as prolifically, or lead a team single-handedly the way Iverson did. In 2000-2001, Iverson lead a team with absolutely no help to the finals. No other player Iverson's size has ever done that. He was idolized for his overall skills, not just his jumping ability like Spud was, and for this reason he was so popular among fans. This was the reason that during Iverson's Sixer days he had one of the most sold jerseys out of any player. 2) I never said Iverson introduced VARIOUS hair styles to the NBA. He brought cornrows, tattoos, excessive bling etc. to the league in a way no player before him has done. However now that you bring up the afro, Iverson was the one who brought back that old school look when he first entered the league even though afros were a rarity since the 70s. He did however popularize the cornrow look, as many fans and other ballers began to sport this look, and still do even today. 3) Iverson may not have had the worst attitude the game has ever seen, but to rank him at 25th (even though I feel he should be higher, and to be so good at the same time is why he was revolutionary. I understand there have been great players who have had bad attitudes, but but a combination of his horrible attitude and the reasons stated above, is why I feel he was the most revolutionary player. Further, you'll see look on the Bleacher Report following the one you brought up, ranks AI at number 5 for being the worst teammate in today's game. All these factors contributed to why he changed the game more than anyone else. http://bleacherreport.com... 4) Sports analyst Kevin Burke calls Iverson the "biggest trendster ever," and points out how he excessively he fought with Stern over the dress code. Like you said, this alone is no reason to call him revolutionary, but with all the factors stated above, it presents a good argument to say he was the most revolutionary player ever. http://thehoopdoctors.com... Not sure if you're old enough to remember this but AI also had a huge influence on the entire Hapton, VA community when he was a rising star in high school, and accused of being involved in a brawl at a bowling alley. Iverson and his peers exposed the racism still present in the VA courts, as he was initially sentenced to 5 YEARS IN PRISON. Steve James, who made his name with the film Hoop Dreams, directed a documentary of this event called No Crossover in which he interviews many people among the community who felt that Iverson represented the entire community's current racism towards the blacks. "People said this case caused more division within the community of blacks and whites than at any time since the assassination of Martin Luther King," James says. "And this is just a bowling alley brawl, in which three or four people suffered basically minor injuries." Basically, this became a huge issue not only effecting the basketball world, but our entire country as well. People began to realize that racism was still pertinent in this country. Very few players in our modern times, if any, have brought the attention to the public this racism issue. http://www.npr.org... Incidentally, the case was dropped and AI went on to have the finest career out of any 6 footer in the history of the game. So Iverson was never the best at one thing; the biggest gangster, worst attitude etc. but with the combination of the things he wore, did, and said to his peers, coaches, and fans is the reason he was so influential on not only fans of the game, but frankly every African American kid who grew up in the late 1990's. For this reason he was the most influential basketball player the game has ever seen. Eagerly awaiting to hear your rebuttal, con.