Allen Iverson becomes emotional in discussing his retirement Wednesday in Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA —
Allen Iverson
wore a plain black shirt, baseball cap turned to the back, a large gold
chain draped across his chest and a leather hooded jacket Wednesday at
his retirement press conference.
What elese should anyone expect from the man whose attire and attitude
inspired the NBA to impose a mandatory dress code in 2005?
But this is how he wanted it. From the tattoos, to the cornrows to the
madcap way he played the game, Iverson was a cultural touchstone for the
NBA, a pioneer of sorts for a younger generation who emulated the way
he dressed and played.
Allen Iverson and Larry Brown (l.) have a love-hate relationship in the City of Brotherly Love.
Ever since he was picked first overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the
Sixers, Iverson ruled the league, with his high-flying routine on the
court, his attitude, even the way he conducted press conferences, ("
Practice?").
As a six-foot, 165-pound scoring point guard, Iverson spent 10 seasons
with the Sixers, leading the team to the NBA Finals during the 2001
season, the same year he was named the league’s MVP.
So in appearing at his retirement ceremony, it was clear the
38-year-old wanted to go out the same way he conducted himself in his
14-year NBA career. Besides, Iverson said he always hated wearing suits.
"I always felt like it was cool being me," he said. "I thought that was
the style. I think that's the style, being who I am and I had no
problem with that."
After last playing in the NBA in the 2010-11 season, during which his
career seemed to hover in limbo, Iverson finally announced his
retirement on Wednesday in a warm-hearted ceremony hours before the
Sixers opened their season against the Miami Heat. With his former
college coach John Thompson of Georgetown and Sixers legend Julius “Dr.
J” Erving in attendance, Iverson spoke slowly and sincerely, chewing on
each word, as if he couldn't believe he was actually leaving the sport
behind. The team plans on honoring Iverson with a halftime ceremony on
Wednesday night.
"I really thought this would be a tough day for me but it's a happy
day," Iverson told the audience, sitting on a stage behind the court. "I
gave everything I had to basketball. The passion is still there. The
desire to still play is just not. And I just feel good that I'm happy
with the decision that I made and I'm just grateful."
He is almost a certain lock for the Hall of Fame. Iverson was voted the
league's Rookie of the Year in 1996-97, made three All-NBA first teams,
three All-NBA second teams, and an All-NBA third team. He was an
11-time All-Star, playing in the exhibition game every year from
2000-2010. He currently resides in 19th place on the all-time scoring
list with 24,368 points and has the sixth highest scoring average in NBA
history with 26.7 points per game. His playoff scoring average of 29.7
points, ranks second only to Michael Jordan. He led the league in
scoring four times.
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