The Answer is China?

One of the most prominent basketball players in the world over the past decade is sitting at home without any interest from a single NBA team.  How can a 4-time scoring champion, 2-time NBA All-Star MVP, and former league Most Valuable Player not be able to find a job in the NBA?

How did it come to this for Allen Iverson?

As we take a look back at one of the most polarizing careers of any NBA player in league history it seems it would always turn out this way.

Allen Iverson hit the professional scene back in 1996 as a young, brash combo guard ready to take on the world.  His personality and style was a huge departure from what the league was used to.  In a sense Iverson became the anti-Jordan and most of the public loved it.  He led the NBA in jersey sales for several years and remained in the top 10 for over a decade.  His popular sneakers landed him a record deal with Reebok to become the face of their basketball platform.  Even his hair style and tattoos were popular among a generation.

During his 14 seasons in the NBA, Iverson had many ups and downs.  People that dislike him will continuously cite his issues with coaches, off the court troubles, and his “me first” attitude on the basketball court.  They will go on to say that Iverson never made his teammates better and while his play on the court was flashy and exciting, it was ultimately detrimental to his team’s long term success.  Not to mention his thoughts on practice!

via NBA.com

But for all of his faults you could never question Iverson’s heart.  His 26.7 points per game ranks 6th all-time in NBA history.  Night in and night out, he left everything he had out on the court.  He was one of the few athletes on the planet that could actually make you stop what you were doing and think to yourself, “Wow”.  The reckless abandonment for his body and his sheer will to win made him a crowd favorite for years.

Now Iverson stands on the outside looking in.  His body has slowed down from the beating it took for years and his skills have diminished.  But even as his talents fade away the young brash player remains inside him.  If Iverson could change his game and become a complementary piece for a contender, not only could he extend his NBA career for several seasons but he would likely excel in the role.

Those that have followed his journey across the NBA landscape realize that Iverson will never be that player.  He will always be the guy that will go to battle and give it his all once the game starts.  But he will also always be the guy that needs the ball in his hands in order to be happy.  He wore out his welcome in Philadelphia, Denver, Detroit, and Memphis, and now has nowhere else to turn.

Iverson’s personal manager Gary Moore says that there is “legitimate interest” between Iverson and a team in China and that not one NBA has contacted the Iverson camp with any interest.  It seems likely that the answer for Iverson is to take his talents overseas and follow in the footsteps of Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis.  In China, Iverson could excel on the court, capitalize on his global brand, and have a couple of more years as a dominant athlete.  But it will also show that he is no longer dominant on the grandest stage.

Allen Iverson came into the NBA with a roar and will go out with a whimper.  The answer to the question of how Iverson’s NBA career would end was obvious.  He always did things his own way.  Why change now?