Allen Iverson has decided to retire from the NBA, according to comments he made on Stephen A. Smith’s official Website.
“I would like to announce my plans to retire from the National Basketball Association,” Iverson said in a statement on StephanA.com. “I always thought that when I left the game, it would be because I couldn’t help my team the way that I was accustomed to. However, that is not the case.
“I still have tremendous love for the game, the desire to play, and a whole lot left in my tank. I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level.”
Iverson played just three games in Memphis this season before departing for “personal” reasons. It was widely reported that he was unhappy coming off the bench.
The Knicks took a long, hard look at signing the 34-year-old 10-time All-Star but opted not to out of concerns for chemistry.
Iverson could now wait to see if an NBA team wants to pick him up for the veteran’s minimum later this season, or he could opt to go overseas and play in Greece or Italy the way some NBA players have done. Or he could hang them up permanently.
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