This is comical for anybody to think that Allen Iverson playing soccer for any amount of money is a good thing. It is a more than a tragedy that someone who made well over 150million dollars is broke to the point that he would even be offered this deal.
We have heard the stories with his gambling debt, failure to pay his jeweler, the divorce from his wife. The other dependents that he took care of in his posses, but probably didn’t even claim on his taxes. It is the typical rise and fall story of the professional athlete having money and then losing it all.
Allen Iverson one of the greatest scorers in the league has been quoted as saying that he would even play in the D-League to get back in the league. Still coaches and GM’s find it hard to believe he will leave that ego at the door and take upon a much lesser role.
I would like to believe that after all that he is been through in the past two years that the ego has not only been left at the door but it’s all but dead and gone. Would anyone of us ever imagine Allen Iverson playing in the D-League? The answer is No and he shouldn’t have to play there.
He deserves a chance to be back in the NBA. The multiple scoring league and once MVP of the league deserves a chance to finish his career on his own terms and retire from the league in his own way. For someone who inspired many and made millions for the NBA, he deserves not only a second chance but as many chances as it takes to retire with grace and humility.
The fans of Allen Iverson deserve to see him go out like the champion he was. Unfortunately it’s not up to the fans but coaches and GM’s. They can only see the Allen Iverson with the ego the braids and the famous quote of “we wanna talk about Practice not the Game but Practice”.
Larry Brown was quoted as saying “ it’s not right a player of Iverson’s caliber shouldn’t be forced to finish his career overseas or in the D-League.” Let’s also remember this is a coach who went through the good, the bad and the ugly with Iverson.
Iverson was one of the greatest ever to play the game but his off-court issues and the fact that he lived his life, where all could see , may keep him from a possible return to the NBA. The sad part about Allen possibly not returning to the NBA has nothing to do with accolades or how great he was or even how this will hurt his legacy.
The sad part is from a players standpoint he will always have to live with this. The way his career ended will eat at him. All the money, riches and glory and possibly even being broke, doesn’t compare to the empty feeling he may have of not finishing on his own terms.
