LeBron James on Allen Iverson: Pound-for-pound, probably the best ever

LeBron James can’t seem to heap enough praise upon Allen Iverson.

First, the Miami Heat superstar called the former NBA great “my second-favorite player growing up, after MJ� in the current issue of ESPN The Magazine, in which he also refers to Michael Jordan as “the greatest.�

Iverson will retire in a ceremony Wednesday before the Heat’s game in Philadelphia, and James was asked Monday for more thoughts on the one-time league MVP and four-time scoring champ.

“Pound-for-pound, probably the greatest player who ever played,� James said of Iverson.

That’s pound-for-pound, which means LeBron probably doesn’t think that Iverson (listed at 6-feet, 165 pounds) could beat Jordan (6-6, 190 pounds) at one-on-one -- and we all know how important that sort of thing is to MJ.

But James feels Iverson made up for his lack of size with his will to be the best.

“They say he was 6 feet, but A.I. was like 5-10½. Do we even want to say 160? 170? Do we even want to give him that much weight?� James said in ESPN The Magazine. “And he played like a 6-8 2-guard. He was one of the greatest finishers we’ve ever seen. You could never question his heart. Ever. He gave it his all.�

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