FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Bijan Robinson was 8 years old when Allen Iverson played his last game in the NBA. Robinson wasn’t born when Iverson was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2001. But no athlete is more responsible for Robinson’s slippery running style than Iverson.
“People always ask me, who do I watch on the football field, and I always tell them LaDainian Tomlinson and Barry Sanders, but I always tell them I watch more basketball tape and watch how they create space for themselves in tight close quarters,” the Atlanta Falcons’ second-year running back said.
Iverson, especially. The man who went by “AI” and “The Answer” and “Bubba Chuck” throughout his career never equaled the on-court success of contemporaries like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, but his signature style — specifically his famous crossover dribble — have helped him linger as an influence for many of today’s athletes regardless of sport.
It’s why Robinson has poured over hours of Iverson highlights on YouTube searching for tricks.
“I watched a lot of Allen Iverson,” Robinson said. “I do this dead leg (move) that I do. That came from him. He was so gifted with his dead leg cross.”
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Iverson himself was a football standout. He was named the high school player of the year in Virginia in both sports. That makes the connection between him and today’s young NFL players even stronger, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs wore an Iverson jersey to a Lions game earlier this season and then celebrated a touchdown with a crossover move. Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin credited Iverson with his ability to shake cornerbacks at the line of scrimmage.
“Allen Iverson is iconic,” Morris said. “I was cheering for the Lakers, but you still couldn’t help but want it to go down for Iverson because of who he was and how deeply embedded he was in the culture of all us athletes.”
Iverson’s influence is apparent when Robinson has the ball in his hands with his quick back-and-forth cuts frequently leaving defenders flat-footed or grasping at empty space, and it’s not just opponents who are victims.
“I see that, definitely, he shows it every day, crossing people up all the time (on the practice field),” Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said.
Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss said he’s happy he doesn’t have to deal with it on the game field.
“I’d put him up against anybody in the NFL,” Elliss said. “When he’s in space, he’s so hard to deal with. He’s just so sharp. You know the play that went viral last year where he kind of caught the ball behind his back? That kind of looked like that crossover that Allen Iverson put on Michael Jordan. Got to put that side by side.”
Behind the back, crossover, touchdown! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Ir4APtKNKR
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 9, 2023
Allen Iverson hit Michael Jordan with the crossover 24 years ago today 🔥
Still iconic. pic.twitter.com/b2GTS2K4Mz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 12, 2021
Robinson, 22, leads the NFL in missed tackles forced with 108, according to Next Gen Stats. He is third among running backs in juke rate, according to FTN Fantasy’s tracking, and he is fourth in rushing yards with a career-high 1,286.
“It’s fun to admire on film,” Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews said. “During the games, you can’t see much. Everything is going on behind me.”
Robinson hones his cutback and crossover moves in practice during drills in which running backs coach Michael Pitre “throws different objects” at the backs, he said.
“For me, it’s about making sure I am anticipating a move,” he said. “It happens in a split-second, but I want to make defenders be the most uncomfortable that I can. I try looking past them instead of at them because it gives me my move. It’s something that I have always worked on in the offseason.”
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Robinson is fourth in the league in yards from scrimmage with 1,714 thanks to his 428 receiving yards. He is the sixth Falcon to surpass 1,700 scrimmage yards in a season and the first since Julio Jones in 2015. His 12 rushing touchdowns are tied for eighth in the league and the most by a Falcon since Michael Turner in 2010.
“This is the O-line, too, and the guys outside blocking,” Robinson said. “If it wasn’t for them, this would have never happened. I give them all credit for everything, and hopefully we keep on rocking this year and for years to come.”
Robinson is quick in every interview session to give credit to God and his teammates, often naming them all individually. Two weeks ago, he apologized to Penix for getting stopped short of the goal line on what would have been the rookie’s first NFL touchdown pass.
“I can’t say enough positive things about him as a human,” Morris said. “He makes me a better person every single day. He should make everybody in his fan base proud. He should make everybody in his organization proud. He is absolutely a grade-A, stand-up human, and he makes you feel bad about yourself he’s so good.”
Robinson said his confidence, patience and understanding of the game have all improved in his second season. Next season, he hopes to become a more vocal leader.
“Right now I lead by example, by how I work on the field and in practice and what I do extra in my off time,” he said. “I know I’m still a young player in this league, but I try to make as much an impact as I can for these guys. I do a lot of praying for this team. I think that all adds up to something special.”
Robinson has been inspired by wide receiver Drake London’s more outspoken leadership this season.
“And you see the season he has had,” Robinson said. “I want to do the same thing next year and then hopefully that impacts everybody so that we can do twice what we did this year.”
Robinson believes he, London, tight end Kyle Pitts and Penix are a young core capable of more than Atlanta has achieved so far this season.
“Everybody sees the talent that we have,” Robinson said. “We have to take these things one day at a time. We’re super close-knit, but now it’s just translating that to the football field. … We have to be dominant.”
(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
