Allen Iverson's take on the LeBron-Jordan debate isn't as controversial as you think

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Thanks to ESPN airing "The Last Dance" this summer, every basketball fan in the world is dusting off their favorite Michael Jordan memory.

And, because sports fans are nothing if not constantly combative, those stories are being used to try and keep LeBron James down. It's just how the Jordan-LeBron argument goes these days.

On Tuesday, Sixers legend Allen Iverson - someone who faced both James and Jordan - briefly touched on the neverending debate, and accidentally set the internet on fire.

And, as is often the case, Iverson didn't get a fair deal.

Iverson appeared on Fat Joe's Instagram Live show Tuesday, where Iverson and Joe talked for more than 70 minutes. But one clip was shared all over, in which Iverson touched on how he feels about Jordan and James: 

Sounds pretty juicy, right? One of the league's biggest icons possibly endorsing James over Jordan?

If you go back to the 1:03:30 mark of the talk, however, you'll see this isn't what happened. Because here's the full quote:

I'm not gonna fight what's the best. I'm not gonna fight. Like, much as I love Michael Jordan, dog, LeBron James is the one, dog. He the one. That m**********r is the one. Kevin Durant is the one, man. The one. He's like that. 

And the lead-in to that comment from Iverson? He was talking about appreciating Michael Jackson's music, saying he'd listen to Jackson's songs before games. He was talking about being a fan of what's great, and being able to appreciate current greatness while also appreciating previous greatness.

Frankly, it's a great way to approach the Jordan-LeBron debate! A nuanced take from a very nuanced guy. Michael Jordan was amazing. LeBron James is amazing. You can appreciate both, and more people should try to view them separately instead of qualifying their accomplishments against each other.

So let's just appreciate Iverson's take for what it is, instead of creating bonus arguments where they don't exist.

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