"Everybody was saying we couldn't win because of our size" - When Allen Iverson stood the tallest after the iconic 2001 NBA All-Star Game

No one epitomized the “heart over height” adage more than the barely 6-foot-tall Allen Iverson . A one-time winner of the NBA MVP award, A.I. defied just about every challenge thrown his way — the 2001 NBA All-Star Game was one of the many examples.

Led by three guards and a 6-foot-8 center in the starting lineup, the Eastern Conference All-Stars were at a decided disadvantage in the height department. The shortest of them all, Iverson, happened to play the second-most minutes for the team. In a striking comeback, the superstar guard stood the tallest.

"Everybody was saying we couldn't win because of our size," Iverson said after the game, per the Associated Press. "It's not about size, it's about the size of your heart."

"That's why we call him 'The Answer,'" voiced Dikembe Mutombo, who would join Iverson in Philadelphia in the coming days. "We had so many questions on the bench, and he kept responding."

A legendary season

Leading the East to a comeback victory was just one of the many personal feats achieved by the 76ers guard that season. In an intense battle with L.A. Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal for the MVP award, Iverson averaged a league-leading 31.1 points and 2.5 steals per game. In a whopping 42.0 minutes a night, the small guard recorded 18 30-point games, 15 40-point games, and two 50-point games as he led his team to a 56-26 record.

Just when it didn’t seem like it could get any better for No. 3 — it did. He stormed into the 2001 postseason convinced his team could compete for an NBA title. Iverson averaged 32.9 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.7 rebounds. After a scintillating 44-point performance in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the guard led his team to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Although his team was handled in just five games, A.I.’s iconic Game 1 performance will forever be etched in stone. His fearless pursuit against Kobe Bryant and O’Neal was simply awe-inspiring.

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Height doesn't matter

As Bryant once said: “We should all be fortunate Allen Iverson wasn’t 6’5.” Had he been that tall, there’s no telling what the Sixers legend could’ve achieved. Despite his size, Iverson was an 11-time All-Star, four-time scoring champion, three-time steals leader, two-time All-Star Game MVP, and a seven-time member of the All-NBA Team. Tack on his career scoring average of 26.7 points, yes — his contemporaries should look back and be thankful the guard wasn’t bigger than he was.

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