The man who once shoved aside criticism of not attending a Philadelphia 76ers practice with his 
“we talking about practice” one-liner says when he finally hangs up his sneakers, he’d prefer doing so as an NBA player.
For as much as he had the talent to drop jaws about as often as he crossed ankles, Iverson’s lowlights sometimes outweighed his highlights
Iverson clashed early and often with 76ers coach Larry Brown among other incidents. After looking to land on a team and getting that opportunity from the Memphis Grizzlies, Iverson balked when told he would sit and did so again once he was re-united with the 76ers. Aside from that, he had off-the-court issues with alcoholism and gambling.
Now the former All-Star says he has learned from his mistakes and is willing and ready to play in any role on a NBA team, according to an interview in SLAM Magazine.
“I want to finish my career out in the NBA, if that’s possible,” Iverson said. “And that’s in any capacity. I did a lot of things, I made a lot of mistakes as far as my actions and things that I’ve said, and I think that was the reason for me not being in the NBA. My whole thing now in trying to get back is letting any organization know that I’m willing to play any part that they want me to play.”
Any GM in the league would be wary of signing Iverson. His talent makes him an interesting prospect for most teams, especially sub .500 teams, but Iverson is now playing on 36-year-old legs.
For the powerhouse and veteran teams in the NBA, they’d take his words with a grain of salt.
Is the talent worth the possibility of having a chemistry-breaker and locker room cancer on your team?
Most GMs in the league will be left pondering those questions before seriously considering Iverson, and in his case, it may be too little too late.
Iverson’s been getting in his own way his whole career so much that his past may be too much of a challenge to overcome.
(photo: daylife.com)
