Iverson retires

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:29 pm

Report: Iverson to announce retirement

Allen Iverson is reportedly set to have a news conference today to announce his retirement from basketball.

Iverson has been playing for the Turkish team Besiktas. He recently suffered an ankle injury and is returning to the United States for surgery.

"Leaving the basketball world makes me sad but, sometimes, we have to accept things like they are. I can say goodbye to basketball,ג he said.

The report was originally in the Turkish newspaper Ajansspor.

Iverson, who spent part of last season in his second tour with the Sixers, was playing in Turkey after no NBA teams offered him a contract for this season.

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:32 pm

Is he a top 50 player of all-time?

Positive A · Post by **Positive A** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 3:34 pm

File this under, "Anyone Could See This Coming".

Top 50 ever? Shit...I'm going to have to say yes.

Gregg Popabitch · Post by **Gregg Popabitch** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:14 pm

Iverson is easily a top 50 basketball player of all time.

I'm going to miss watching him play.

Yes, he was a flawed basketball player. But not many were as skilled, talented, and as fun to watch.

Positive A · Post by **Positive A** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:16 pm

Iverson @ Georgetown brings back a boatload of fond memories.

blastmaster · Post by **blastmaster** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:59 pm

Dead in two years

Spiccoli · Post by **Spiccoli** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:26 pm

blastmaster wrote:Dead in two years

Hayzoos · Post by **Hayzoos** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:27 pm

I never liked this fuckin guy

Roy Johnson · Post by **Roy Johnson** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:32 pm

I always hated his guts, but he might have been the quickest player of all time with the ball in his hands. It's too bad that he didn't have the brains to supplement his extraordinary talent & work ethic.

He's always gonna be a favorite with people who love street ball.

Kid That's Lifeless · Post by **Kid That's Lifeless** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 5:55 pm

If you hate Allen Iverson, you hate basketball.

Big Breeze · Post by **Big Breeze** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:02 pm

Hayzoos wrote:I never liked this fuckin guy

vermillion · Post by **vermillion** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:28 pm

Gregg Popabitch wrote:Iverson is easily a top 50 basketball player of all time.

I'm going to miss watching him play.

Yes, he was a flawed basketball player. But not many were as skilled, talented, and as fun to watch.

Agreed. Seems like most people I'm talking to lately only remember his flaws, but he was amazing to watch. He's top 50, might even be top 40 if I actually run down a list, but that might be giving him a little too much credit.

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 6:58 pm

Best 6 foot player to ever dribble. Assuming he was really 6 foot.

jazzmatazz23 · Post by **jazzmatazz23** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:10 pm

Philaflava wrote:Best 6 foot player to ever dribble. Assuming he was really 6 foot.

no

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:14 pm

jazzmatazz23 wrote:
Philaflava wrote:Best 6 foot player to ever dribble. Assuming he was really 6 foot.
no

Name a few people then. I don't even believe A.I. is 6 ft, but name some folks.

Calvin Murphy? Don't tell me Tim Hardaway.

eternalreflection · Post by **eternalreflection** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:49 pm

Chris Paul
Stockton(listed at 6'1")

come to mind quickly

YouTube · Post by **Philaflava** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 8:53 pm

While Paul is awesome and one of the best PG's in the league you're already declaring him better than AI? And we're going by listed. Stockton doesn't count. Technically AI is about 5'10 at best.

Big Breeze · Post by **Big Breeze** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:11 pm

Philaflava wrote:Best 6 foot player to ever dribble. Assuming he was really 6 foot.

Jew please

They may have been listed at 6'1'', but they weren't.

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:37 pm

When he lead the 76ers into the playoffs with what was it? A broken elbow, broken fingers and a tailbone contusion or some shit...I think, it woulda been around 2000-2001, he cemented his spot as one of the toughest, most resilient players the league has seen. I think he deserves mention in the top 50, and a spot in the Hall of Fame.

He definitely has been taken down a few pegs for his attitude in the last few years, but anybody paying attention knows the deal here.

jazzmatazz23 · Post by **jazzmatazz23** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 9:44 pm

Philaflava wrote:While Paul is awesome and one of the best PG's in the league you're already declaring him better than AI? And we're going by listed. Stockton doesn't count. Technically AI is about 5'10 at best.

I would take Paul over him, and I couldn't really find anyone under 6 feet better then him. My bad

Reason · Post by **Reason** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:34 pm

hai guise

he's not retiring

Allen Iverson to have growth removed
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232
By Ric Bucher
ESPN The Magazine
Archive
Former NBA star Allen Iverson plans to have a growth removed from his right leg in the United States and intends to rejoin his Turkish team in time for the playoffs.

Iverson, who signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Turkish team Besiktas this fall after no NBA team showed any interest, had tests on the calf three weeks ago to find the cause of persistent pain, his business manager and longtime friend, Gary Moore said Wednesday.

Iverson
An MRI originally showed a tiny shadow between the two bones in Iverson's lower leg, but he continued to play. When the pain worsened, a second MRI was taken in the last few days and showed the shadow had doubled in size to a half-penny. Moore said the shadow could be anything from a lesion to a cyst to a tumor.

Iverson, who was en route back to the U.S. and unavailable for comment, hopes to find out by having surgery within the next few days.

"Two things have to happen," Moore said. "First, that lesion has to come out. Second, it has to be tested to see if it is malignant or benign."

Besiktas spokesman Kursat Kaplan told The Associated Press on Wednesday the team would assess Iverson's future after another MRI this week. Iverson, though, Moore said, is proceeding as if the shadow is benign and expects to be back on the court for Besiktas in four to six weeks.

"People need to know that Allen is and always has been a fighter," Moore told The AP by phone. "He's got a battle ahead of him."

Moore said this is something that neither he nor Iverson ever expected could happen.

"He's a freak of nature the way he has played through everything," Moore said. "But this was the most pain he's ever been in. Remember when he took that knee from Shaquille O'Neal, 160 pounds going up against 350? The pain in his leg is 10 times worse than that. This might be the biggest challenge he's ever had."

However, Moore denied Turkish reports that said Iverson planned to retire.

"It's not a misquote, it's an outright lie, because he didn't talk to anybody," Moore said. "He has every hope of playing again."

Iverson, an 11-time NBA All-Star, has said he's happy with his new career in Turkey, though his start has been mixed since playing his first game in November.

Moore said Iverson, the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2001, last played Saturday.

"This is the most pain he's ever felt from any injury he's had," Moore said to The AP. "He's been in tremendous agony."

Iverson spent 10 seasons in Philadelphia before bouncing through Denver and Detroit, ending up in Memphis last season.

He played only three games before returning for a second stint with the Sixers, where he averaged 13.9 points in 25 games. He took a leave of absence toward the end of the season to deal with some family matters, which he said have been resolved.

When no NBA team was interested in him, Iverson was wooed by Besiktas executive board member Seref Yalcin to continue his career overseas.

"He's enjoying the beauty of the country, the beauty of the people," Moore told The AP. "No one has any expectations of him other than what he gives on the basketball court. No one cares about what he did five, six years ago."

Reason · Post by **Reason** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 10:38 pm

he was never one of my favorites but like everyone else i respected his hustle and grit. i just am not in love with volume shooters who have shitty fg percentages. people forget about the interior defense and rebounding the 76ers had to allow AI to do what he did offensively and gambling defensively

but i always respected him and of course he made my jaw drop (nh) numerous times

fav moment = stepping over lue after hitting a jumper in his eyes

@hayzoos and big breeze

he was crazy fun to watch at georgetown too, you can't even deny that

but yea if he were on my fav team of course i'd root for him but he'd give me tons of ulcers. i fell out of love with jalen when he became a volume shooter with bad fg% without making enough plays for others to make up for it. i fell out of love with jermaine o'neal for shooting sub 50% as a big man who volume shoots. and now granger is tormenting me as he clearly has thea bility to drive to the hole and get buckets or fouled but settles for tons of jumpers. i just don't dig it.

Big Breeze · Post by **Big Breeze** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 11:05 pm

Reason wrote:i just am not in love with volume shooters who have shitty fg percentages.

This is exactly why I never liked his game.

I've said this in numerous posts when the subject of AI comes up.

A Kid · Post by **A Kid** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 12:26 am

blastmaster wrote:Dead in two years

naturalborn103 · Post by **naturalborn103** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 10:46 am

Reason wrote:he was never one of my favorites but like everyone else i respected his hustle and grit. i just am not in love with volume shooters who have shitty fg percentages. people forget about the interior defense and rebounding the 76ers had to allow AI to do what he did offensively and gambling defensively

Regardless it is crazy he made it to the finals with that team and won game one vs. Lakers. Name me one other team that had either the same or worse #2 offensive threat then McKie that made it to the Finals? Only team that was close was Lebron vs. Spurs.

Reason · Post by **Reason** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 3:17 pm

naturalborn103 wrote:
Reason wrote:he was never one of my favorites but like everyone else i respected his hustle and grit. i just am not in love with volume shooters who have shitty fg percentages. people forget about the interior defense and rebounding the 76ers had to allow AI to do what he did offensively and gambling defensively
Regardless it is crazy he made it to the finals with that team and won game one vs. Lakers. Name me one other team that had either the same or worse #2 offensive threat then McKie that made it to the Finals? Only team that was close was Lebron vs. Spurs.

i don't think it was 'crazy' at all. from what standpoint? without basketballreferencing it up or googling, etc., i remember that team won coach of the year, dpy, and mvp...right? did they win 6th man too? and they were 1st seed in eastern conference i thought? if not top 2 or 3 easy.

they had a great interior defender, rebounder, a couple good/big perimeter defenders who could protect/make up for AI, and they had to have one shooter, just can't remember...maybe not though...

but yea if you have that interior defense and positioning coached by larry brown with a guard that can get anywhere he wants on offense and the team proved it all reg season i don't think it was a shock to win ONE game (which by the way was an overtime game and one in which AI prolly shot 50%+ fg, i know he had 40+)

toolazytogoogle.com

naturalborn103 · Post by **naturalborn103** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 3:24 pm

They were the 1 seed. But even if all you said about their D is right, can you name another team with #2 on offense that made it to the finals that was worse or equal to McKie?

Gregg Popabitch · Post by **Gregg Popabitch** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 3:45 pm

lol @ rzn sidestepping that shit.

The only teams to make it to the NBA Finals without all star #2 options on offense are the 01 sixers, '06 cavs (? forgot what year it was), and '94 rockets since 1980.

That team was elite defensively though. They had Theo Ratliff for half a year and then got Mutombo. had Aaron Mckie, Eric Snow and Tyrone Hill if I remember correctly. All of whom can lock up pretty well.

The Mutombo trade actually kinda hurt them though because Ratliff was playing out of his mind AND they gave up Kukoc who was playing the sidekick offensive role really well until he got traded. Yeah they got a little bigger and lengthier with Mutombo but they lost some youth, springs, and a good offensive player as well. I remember thinking at the time "wtf, why are they trading theo ratliff, kukoc and scrubs for a 36 year old, 3 inch taller theo ratliff?!?!"

Tommy Bunz · Post by **Tommy Bunz** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 4:57 pm

I ran into Iverson in Old City back in like '03 or so, dude is 5'10" at the most.

One of my favorite players ever and like a lot of people already said, extremely exciting to watch when he was in his prime.
Fitting that the only two posters that didn't appreciate him are two the most hated faggots in the Sports Bar.

MF ZACK · Post by **MF ZACK** » Thu Jan 13, 2011 5:52 pm

damn this sucks