Category: Sport

By FRANK WARD

DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor

Allen Iverson will always have a place in our hearts. The small guy played much bigger than his size and gave us memories that we won’t see for a long time on any hardwood in these parts.

Still, we also know the other side of AI; the overt defiant side. That’s what Turkey will now see.

Allen Iverson missed his flight to Turkey and will have his introduction to the fans delayed. This will be far from the last time we hear of AI troubles across the ocean.

Iverson has reportedly missed his flight to join his new team in Turkey and we doubt this will be the last time the team will need to readjust around the former NBA MVP. Iverson is simply playing for money at this point to cover his gambling debts. How else can you explain a guy playing overseas on the downside of his career?

AI foreshadowed the fact that he will play by his rules during his two-year, $4 million contract during negotiations. He reportedly wanted a cap on the amount the team could fine him. He has every intent of breaking rules, skipping practices and games. As much as AI needs a support system and his family, don’t be surprised to see him hop on a plane in midseason and disappear to the US for a week here or there.

If AI didn’t confine to rules of NBA hall-of-famers such as Larry Brown, do you really think he’ll stay out of trouble in Turkey?

Yeah, didn’t think so.

Basketball  –  No longer wanted by any NBA team, Allen Iverson, now 35 years old, will instead play in Turkey.  The 2001 Most Valuable Player signed with the Turkish club Besiktas.  Last year, he averaged close to 13.9 points per game with the Philadelphia 76ers.  He briefly joined the Memphis Grizzlies last year before rejoining his old team.  In 2001, his 76ers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

Iverson’s agents called dozens of teams but all opted for younger guards on their roster in a league now filled with new names and young players.  Allen Iverson also wanted to be a starter, and did not want to accept a reserve role.

“There are a lot of things that I’m not proud of,” Iverson said in a statement to the press.  In 1996, he was taken No. 1 overall in the NBA draft.

“I came into this league 21 years old, never having nothing in my whole life and then given everything in the world. I met a lot of people that were bad people that I had around me. I met a lot of people that were good people. I had to at a young age distinguish who were good and who were bad. And I made a lot of mistakes along the way thinking I knew things that I didn’t know. A lot of times I was a fish out of water, I thought I was in the biggest ocean in the world. I made mistakes, so me not being on an NBA roster, and me being bad-mouthed throughout the league, a lot of things I have to own up to. A lot of those things were true. I made a lot of mistakes. And obviously it cost me.”

Iverson signed a two-year, $4 million deal.  He has made more than $150 million in his career.

via Allen Iverson will play in Turkey – National International Sports | Examiner.com.

Allen Iverson signed with Besiktas, a professional basketball team in Turkey, during a press conference in Manhattan. Posted by Ben Golliver.

Earlier this week, we noted two reports (here and here) that linked former Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson to the Turkish club Besiktas. Last night, Iverson’s management company issued a press release confirming that Iverson had agreed to sign a 2-year, $4 million contract with the team and that he would sign it during a ceremony at the St. Regis hotel in Manhattan.

That ceremony took place today and, from the looks of it, I wish I had been there. This picture, for example, is pretty incredible, as Iverson is either holding his future jersey, a tent flap or maternity clothing, I can’t tell which.

Kate Fagan reports that Iverson plans to move his family to Turkey with him and that he claims money is not a problem.

“It’s not a problem, it’s not a problem – money. Obviously if it was about money, I would jump out there and say, ‘You want me to come off the bench? How much money are you paying?’ It wouldn’t be a big deal. It’s not about money or anything like that. It’s the fact that I want to play and contribute what I can give to a basketball team. I made a ton of money playing in the NBA and all I want to do is play basketball and be happy. I’m at the point in my career where mentally and physically I know I can play basketball and that’s what I want to do. If I can’t play in the NBA, but I want to play basketball, that’s a decision I have to make.”

Here’s some video of the signing, via Philly.com, which shows Iverson shaking hands with Besiktas executives.

What a surreal scene, and my immediate impulse is to conclude that, despite Iverson’s move halfway across the globe to play basketball, we’ll be seeing The Answer pop up from time to time for many years to come. Unfortunately, I’m cringing at that thought. Hopefully Iverson gets this back on track before he reaches Tyson Territory.

Longtime 76er Allen Iverson has agreed on a two-year, $4-million contract with the Turkish team Besiktas, reports the Associated Press.

He’s expected to officially sign with Turkey this week, according to the AP.

The 35-year-old, 11-time all star struggled to remain in the NBA but with no team wooing him, he’s found himself ready to suit up for the Turks.

The Besiktas are considered third among the three most powerful franchises in the Turkish first division and start league play over the weekend. Besiktas have a strong following in Turkey, and team officials believe Iverson could be an immense gate draw, according to Yahoo Sports.

Iverson has played for several teams in his NBA career including a 10-year stint here with the Sixers. Although his time here in Philadelphia was at times controversial. Iverson ultimately left with the fans respect when he was traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2006. He is best known here for his 2001 MVP season, in which he and coach Larry Brown led the 76ers to the finals.