Allen Iverson announced his retirement on Wednesday, October 30. He made the announcement during a press conference in Philadelphia, and it was also publiczied during the first game for the 76ers, when highlights of his career were shown on the screen.
It has been a while since anyone has seen him playing on the court, but Iverson has officially declared his retirement now, as a member of the 76ers were he spent much of his career. He played on the all-star team a total of 11 times, and was selected on the All-NBA team seven times. He was highly popularized throughout his career, being given multiple nicknames including “A.I.” and “The Answer.”
For Allen Iverson’s official retirement, he gave a speech that ran more than 10 minutes, thanking his family, coaches, teammates, and he also gave reflections as to how he had an impact on the game, and its culture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2STsAPK87Iw#t=1
Essentially, the NBA had already given up on him, since it had been four years after his last game. Allen Iverson played in the league for 14 years, after graduating from Georgetown. He most recently played with the Nuggets, and a season with the Pistons, before returning to the 76ers to finish out his outstanding career.
Watchin Allen Iverson retire makes me feel so old
— Daniel Incerpi (@Dcerps85) October 30, 2013
Speaking on his decision to finally retire, Iverson said “I never imagined the day coming, but I knew it would come. I feel proud and happy to say that I’m happy with my decision and I feel great.” Iverson was a shooting guard for the 76ers, and was one of the best players in the NBA throughout the mid-90’s and early 00’s.
he may retire from basketball, but the memories I've witnessed on the court will never be forgotten, @alleniverson pic.twitter.com/6GtPFQqzAL
— ✈ Johansson Cooper ✈ (@skyhook_242) October 31, 2013
Every player has to retire at some point, and some people probably think that it would have been wise for Allen Iverson to retire years ago, when he still seemed relevant. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft by 76ers.
Allen Iverson, at 38-years-old, is ranked 19th on the career scoring list with 24,368 points. He singled out Michael Jordan as his inspiration, and also thanked both his Georgetown coach John Thompson, and Larry Brown, who coached him in Philadelphia.