The most selfish player to ever play in the NBA, Allen Iverson, is out for the remainder of the season for the Detroit Pistons with a so-called ‘hurt back.’
Earlier this week, Iverson whined about coming off the bench and that he’d rather retire than become a team player. Throughout Iverson’s career it has always been about him. He’s shown up late for practices, whether it was for the Philadelphia 76ers or the United States Basketball team, or sometimes didn’t even show up at all. He’s never had any respect for his coaches. Larry Brown and Maurice Cheeks were the most famous of his victims. And his selfishness on the court credited him with not being able to make any of his teammates better during his entire basketball career.
The NBA will be a better place if Allen Iverson retires after this year.
The Detroit Pistons knew what they were getting this year when they traded Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets. They didn’t acquire Allen Iverson. They acquired his expiring contract. Allen Iverson’s expiring contract is worth more than Allen Iverson. When Iverson becomes a free agent this summer, he will quickly find out his services are not wanted anymore in the NBA. There is not one contending team or playoff team that will sign him.
He is a cancer. He is a plague.
The Philadelphia 76ers were not successful because of Allen Iverson, they were successful because of Larry Brown. Larry Brown was able to surround Iverson with a team of unselfish players. Players that didn’t care if Iverson dribbled the ball for 23 seconds before shooting. Players that were capable of rebounding and defending and helping Iverson when he wasn’t able to defend. And players who knew what their role was and played it to perfection.
In the meat of Allen Iverson’s career, he averaged almost 25 shots per game. Way too many for a guard whose FG% was around 41%. That is absolutely putrid and embarrassing. Iverson will go down in the history books as one of the worst-shooting guards in NBA history. Eric Snow has the same career FG% as Allen Iverson. And 76er’s fans know how horrible of a shooter Eric Snow was.
I understand there is a huge Iverson following and they have supported him on and off the court. They love him. They cherish him. But these are the people that don’t understand how the game of basketball is supposed to be played. It’s played as a team and Iverson is not a team player. He never was and he never will want to be.
When he finally retires, hopefully after this year, the NBA will be a better place.
Obviously the writer of this article needs to be noticed using such a disrespectful headline.
Allen Iverson has given 100% to every team he has played for, especially the 76ers! He recently returned to Philly with the Nuggets and actually KISSED the 76ers LOGO on the COURT FLOOR and showed respect to his fans and former coach,CHEEKS.Larry Brown thinks the world of AI and George Karl, in an interview said IVERSON was GREAT to coach! DETROIT was not a good team last season, have not been good since the LARRY BROWN/ BEN WALLACE days, YET, AI is being blamed for their weakness.
IVERSON is a future Hall Of Famer, determined, fearless, hard working, hungry player, he has fans WORLDWIDE and has been very good to alot of his young fans. I was at a game years ago when AI was a Sixer, watched him play with broken teeth and blood in his mouth until he was forced off the floor so I find it so rude for the 76ers and Philly to DISRESPECT ALLEN IVERSON!
J, I’m actually an Iverson guy and loved him with the Sixers. But…gave 100% to every team? Game time, yes. Every other time? Not so much.
Hey you Perry or whatever you are, as you know how the basketball game is and how to be a team player, why you aren’t in the place that AI is? why you don’t do what AI did in his entire career? Hey men you maybe have to close you mouth when you’re gonna talk bullshit. Maybe AI is selfish or whatelse people says, but one think is real Micah Warren: he’s a player who gave 100% every day on the floor, if you don’t believe it, ask it to Larry Brown. If you take out AI when he was at the 76ers club, they weren’t go anywhere, they weren’t be the team that battle with the Lakers for a championship. Maybe is you Perry who have to retire, because NBA without Allen Iverson is a cake without birthday party. I ask you to read the career or Allen Iverson and the numbers in his books…ah and his name is around the greatest names of players in NBA history like: JORDAN, BRYANT and others; now the question is: Where are you? Att. NBA’s Fan. MMG
I wouldn’t be surprised if the real Answer just wrote that. Not only is he selfish, he’s illiterate. These are the types of people Iverson’s fan base consists of.
Hi Perry
Being an avid Iverson fan, as you can imagine i have a few issues with this article.
I agree in that he was selfish and wasnt a team player and so on which was and still is very evident.
I dis-agree that the NBA will be a better place without Iverson though.
Just have a look at any highlight video of iverson and youll agree that he has the skill to make unbeleivable plays, which inturn, sell tickets, which means more seats, more money into the nba which then goes into making sure the NBA has the funds to operate.
Now tell me that that isnt in the best interest in the NBA, to sell seats and keep making money to put back into the game that we both love, basketball.
And to “the answer” please go to school and fix your grammar so that we dont have to take an hour to understand your point.
If anything please take away from this that not all Iverson fans are dumb or incapable of having a civilised debate.
perry if i see u i will kick your ### im not an allen iverson fan but he is the most hard-working b-ball player he played with a broken hand!!! through the 2000-2001 playoffs and finals ai had a total 9 injuries and played through them. thats 120% thank you and have a nice day
I am guessing you aren’t a real writer. I am also guessing your article about Iverson is sensationalism in its most pathetic sense. I will rip your idiotic piece point by point. First, you claim Iverson never made anyone better. It would be tough to make the NBA Finals, one of the two best teams in the world, without making anyone better. The fact that it was a third string PG in Eric Snow (screw in ankle), Aaron McKie, Matt Geiger, Dikembe Mutombo, Raja Bell (before anyone knew him),Jumaine Jones (not in league anymore) and Tyrone Hill, that Iverson lead to the Finals speaks for itself. If he didn’t make any of those players better, they wouldn’t have made it past the first round. Not to mention, players like Kleiza (Denver) and J.R. Smith (Denver) scored 40+ points for the first time in their careers last year simply because of the double teams Iverson saw. He intelligently passed out of the double. Trust me, Kleiza won’t score 40 points, let alone 30 points again in his career. I think when somebody passes out of a double team and makes plays for other players is when you consider them ‘making somebody better’. Judging by your article, you know absolutely nothing about basketball. Eric Snow was picked up by the Cavs only because of the recognition he had playing with Iverson. Raja Bell got a contract only because of what he did playing along side Allen Iverson. Your argument is pathetic and weak. And you say they weren’t successful because of Iverson and only because of Larry Brown? Larry Brown even has said, on record, that Shaq wouldn’t have done anything that Iverson did that season to help advance them to the Finals. But forget 2001. It was obvious Iverson was the best player in the world by far that year. No player, not Shaq, Jordan or Wilt could have done what he did that year. No player was as offensively dominant as Iverson during that time. Then you rip his defense. By the way, Iverson holds the record for steals in a playoff game (10). It’s also known to most half intelligent basketball fans, that teams actually coach against Iverson’s defense because of his ability to play the passing lanes. And everyone knows his shooting percentage was lower in Philly because he had to take the majority of shots to win. He shot 45% his last year with Denver, 27 ppg and 7 assists. You’re a total idiot. You obviously dislike Iverson as a person and I feel bad for you because it gets in the way of your common sense. Good luck moron.
im a IVERSON fan. You dont know what your talking about he played his heart out for every team especially the 76ers. the pistons was a bad team for iverson it wouldnt have fit his style of play so he shouldnt be blamed for there bad season. hes a future hall of famer and one of the best basketball players ever! he shouldnt be blamed for no teams bad season. look what he did with the 76ers led them to the championship all by himself. no team and coach no how to use him as a player. and i bet if you were a basketball superstar and future hall of famer you wouldnt want to come of the bench to. so stop talking crap about allen iverson!
I agree completely with article.
Iverson is a great player. Hard Working. Among the worlds best. However he does not understand that there are other players that are also at his level,yes yes slightly below.
Imagine Iverson was able to adapt his game and play more Like Steve Nash. Iverson’s legend would grow huge. Just imagine man.