The NBA hadn’t invited the first ballot Hall of Famer to play amongst NBA All Stars when it was most recently in session, but now that it’s not, Allen Iverson is planning a game of his own. Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Iverson is organizing a two game tournament of sorts to be played in Las Vegas, starting on November 12th, which could feature a number of the League’s biggest names.
This from Marc Spears:
“Former NBA All-Star Allen Iverson is hosting the Las Vegas Superstar Challenge on Nov. 12-13, sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The tournament includes four teams with captains, including Iverson, who will recruit players for their respective teams. NBA All-Stars who could participate include Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire and Paul Pierce, sources said.
Iverson is expected to announce the participants for all four teams in Las Vegas next week. The winner of the Nov. 12 games at Thomas & Mack Center will play in a championship game the next day. The Nov. 12 games are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET to allow players to attend the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Marquez fight that evening.”
Both the timing and location of Iverson’s event should be duly noted for anybody else trying to attach their name to one of these games or series of games. Mike Beasley, for example, listen up. Planning these particular games in Vegas on the same day as the Manny Pacquiao fight is a good idea, what NBA’er wouldn’t want to hit Vegas, get a good run in, and then hit the strip for the Pacquiao fight. While the Impact Basketball Series was much different than this, it was also scheduled around the Mayweather / Ortiz fight, which probably helped that showing in some ways as well.
So even though Iverson is 36, most recently played professionally in Turkey, and isn’t really in the League anymore, don’t be surprised if he does okay with this thing. Besides the attraction of Vegas, he’s also Allen Iverson too, and carries a bit of respect as far as a lot of the young stars are concerned too, which could help him draw some guys also. Now selling out the Thomas & Mack Center where UNLV plays might not happen, but it should be a decent enough distraction for a day or so as the Lockout wears on into eternity, sucking the life out of NBA fans everywhere.
Photo: BlackSportsOnline
