Allen Iverson wants back in the NBA – and he’s happy to play for anybody who will have him. But is there a team that would take such a gamble?
While he is a 10-time All-Star and former MVP, the 36-year-old Iverson last played in the league in February 2010, when he left the Philadelphia 76ers indefinitely, citing the need to attend to the health of his 4-year-old daughter. Iverson also blamed a messy divorce on his substandard performances in his last games for the Sixers.
Since his departure from Philadelphia, Iverson has played a season in Turkey with Be?ikta?, but now hopes for a NBA comeback. As he bluntly admitted to Yahoo! Sports : “I’ll play for anybody.” Reflecting on his patchy final two NBA seasons, Iverson added:
“Obviously, I was dealing with the situation with my daughter and going through a divorce, and I wasn’t there mentally. In my career those last couple years were so hard for me because I wasn’t there. During those 48 minutes on the basketball court, all I [ever] cared about was that time right there. Nothing else distracted me. But at times, I felt myself standing on the court just thinking about my daughter, thinking about the situation with me and my wife. I wasn’t giving [the teams] everything I had mentally.”
With his daughter back to health and divorce proceedings now running smoothly, Iverson thinks he is ready to return:
“Everything is fine. [My wife and I] are still going through the process, but it’s not like it was. […] My kids are healthy. I don’t have anything to worry about but basketball.”
However, Iverson still has a knack for attracting attention to his off-court shenanigans. In recent years the press have reported that he has had financial, alcohol and gambling troubles, while earlier this year he swore at police officers after being stopped for having expired plates .
Iverson states that playing in Turkey made him miss “the highest level [of basketball] in the world,” and says he’d be happy to warm the bench occasionally if that “makes it easier for me”:
“Obviously, they might have some issues thinking I don’t want to help a team in a certain capacity. But that’s over with. All that was going on through an emotional time. It cost me to not play. I’m just willing to help any squad in any capacity.”
So, any takers?