Allen Iverson never played for the Suns, but Phoenix left an impact on the point guard.
In an interview with FOX Sports Live, Gary Payton asked AI who the toughest player he ever had to go against was. His answer, another point guard who was known by a simple two letter moniker.
“Kevin Johnson,” Iverson told FOX Sports Live. “It was a situation, coming out of college, I never knew about getting destroyed by nobody. I was always the one on the other end of that, destroying somebody else. I can remember he had gave me 36, nine and nine. It was the first time somebody tore me up like that. I was in the locker room and I was actually crying.”
Iverson’s memory is slightly foggy. Johnson only posted a 36 point, eight assist, three rebound and two steal night in their first matchup on February 26, 1997 in Phoenix. But the point is still the same. The Suns Ring of Honor member got into the 76ers’ rookie so much that it brought him to tears. We’re talking about tears, not a sigh, not a sigh, but tears.
So if the question is ‘who was able to get into Iverson’s head more than anyone?’ the answer, even if that was Iverson’s nickname, is Kevin Johnson.