Let's not be coy about Allen Iverson's decision to retire. Although he is a future hall of famer who led the Sixers to the 2001 NBA finals and has the choice to call it quits whenever he wants, Iverson's retirement is the result of the negative image he's built over the years; and he is being forced out of the league. Iverson always had swagger from his playing days at Georgetown. He presented an attitude of confidence but more arrogance. But why not? He had exceptional abilities considering his small six foot 180 pound small frame. The 10 time NBA All-Star has undoubtedly stamped an image of his excellence in the minds of basketball fans. He's tallied over 24 thousand points and nearly two-thouand steals in his career and his name comes up when considering the best players of the last decade. But the other image Iverson stamped in the minds of many was that of a troublesome player who couldn't win it all because he didn't exhibit the team player mindset. While he was a franchise player for the Sixers, his critics would say he was never a leader. This poisonous image stemmed from his battles with Larry Brown about practicing. With the sixers, Iverson made public statements about not wanting to practice with his team because he felt he didn't need to do so in order to gain success. I'm not quite sure his college coach, John Thompson, agreed with him. But of course hearing Iverson pick and choose when he wanted to practice didn't sway public favor towards him for obvious reasons. He then moved on to play with Denver in 2006 followed by Detroit in 08' and a three game career with Memphis this season. He was unhappy playing with the Pistons and the Grizzlies because he was coming off the bench.
He parted ways the Grizzlies this season wanting and expecting to get picked up by another team. While the New York Knicks showed strong interest in Iverson they were the only ones. The Knicks eventually decided against picking up Iverson claiming he would take playing time away from the younger players who need to develop. But his critics say it's because he's a drama filled athlete who would be a negative influence on the players in the locker room. The Knicks have had their fair share of drama filled players. Most recently Stephon Marbury who is currently a free agent, caused a lot of infighting with the dysfunctional Knicks feuding with both Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas. Not to say Iverson and Marbury's situations are equally comparable but if Iverson's critics are correct, the Knicks may have wanted to avoid issues that would arise from a very "opinionated" player like Iverson on the squad.
Last year, Iverson averaged 17 points per game for the Pistons and his former coach George Karl said he's surprised no one is giving him a chance. But if you consider the fact more and more sports teams in and out of the league are opting to avoid troubled players despite their talent, this isn't much of a surprise. Iverson is 34 years old and even though he would make an immediate contribution to any team on or off the bench for most teams he simply isn't worth the risk.
According to the report about the retirement from NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith, Iverson still believes he has a lot of skill left in the tank. His statement to Smith indicates he wants to play but since no team has interest, it's better to save face and just retire rather than stay a free agent with diminished hopes that a team will take him. I'm almost certain this isn't the way Iverson envisioned leaving the league but it's the reality. Perhaps this isn't the end for Iverson; who still has talent; and of course it wouldn't be the first time a player returned from retirement. But by the way everything transpired it really just seems like it's over.
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