Allen Iverson has not played in the NBA since the 2009-10 season. He has said that he wants to make another run in the big leagues, but he is passing up a pretty solid opportunity to make that dream a reality.
The Dallas Mavericks’ D-League team, the Texas Legends, was trying to convince Iverson to join them and maybe get another shot in the NBA. The Legends, who are co-owned by Donnie Nelson, the Mavs president of basketball operations, just moved to the top of the league’s waiver list and would have had first crack if Iverson decided to join the player pool.
Iverson decided that he would not be pursuing that opportunity, posting his feelings about the offer on Twitter today.
I thank Donnie and Dallas for the consideration and while I think the D-League is a great opportunity, it is not the route for me … I realize my actions contributed to my early departure from the NBA, should God provide me another opportunity I will give it my all … My dream has always been to complete my legacy in the NBA … To my fans, I love yall! Not a day goes by that I am not asked when am I coming back, we all must accept my return is not up to just me.
Iverson has also turned down offers to play in China, saying that he only wants to play in the NBA. I get the impression that Iverson is only going to be wooed back into basketball if an NBA team offers him a spot on their roster.
Unless somebody really needs to pull off a big publicity stunt, I honestly do not see that happening. If Iverson really wanted to play in the NBA again, he should take the D-League opportunity and prove that he can still hang with the best talent in the world.
At 37 years old, there is no telling what you can expect from a guy who made his career from being the quickest guy on the floor. I can guarantee he has lost a couple steps and would not be the 11-time All-Star we saw many years ago. Unless he is really been… wait for it… practicing (sorry, I could n0t help myself, it's been a long time since I got to write about Allen Iverson).
I think this unwillingness to set foot in the D-League probably squashes any chance that we will see Allen Iverson play pro ball again. There is no shame in his career ending the way it did, he will still go down in history as one of the greatest ever.
Image: ESPN.com
