Top 10 Most Influential Basketball Players Over the Past Decade

Scribe Written on October 05, 2008

10. Anthony Parker

The former Bradley standout had a less than sensational start in the NBA, and after a few years of warming the bench behind players like Allen Iverson, he decided to take his game over to Israel. Parker signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv and was originally supposed to replace Deron Sheffer. Instead, Parker built a legacy, and earned a place among the Euroleague's top-50 contributors; a list which includes Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, and former NBA superstars Toni Kukoc, Vlade Divac, and Drezan Petrovic.

While in Israel, Parker earned the highest honor in the Euroleague by being named MVP in 2004-2005. He posted 18.0 PPG, 5.3 rebounds per game and 3.6 assists per game. In 2005-2006, he was named MVP for the second year, and then left Europe to return to the NBA. Parker left a legacy in Europe that Israel will not soon forget. He is now a member of the Toronto Raptors in the NBA, and is looking to add an NBA Championship to his resume before returning to Europe to close his career.

9. Allen Iverson

Iverson is easily the biggest scorer of the post-Jordan era, and his averages don't lie. He trails only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain with a career average of 27.7 points per contest. He was the king in Philadelphia, and in 2000-2001 he was named the MVP, and went on to lead his team to the NBA finals. Allen Iverson isn't only a great player, and a prolific scorer, he is also a player who reached unbelievable levels of popularity with his signature corn-rows, tattoos, and killer cross-over.

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