With 11-time all star, and probable Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson about to join Stephon Marbury in NBA-exile by playing in China, it has many, including AI’s personal manager, wondering why AI has not gotten a call from any NBA teams.
“We’re very astonished, to say the least, that not one team has contacted us with any interest,” Gary Moore explained to AP [Associated Press]. “I just don’t understand it. What has Allen Iverson done to not warrant interest in him?” (“Iverson-to-China Possible”).
Since Iverson is best known for his scoring and since his scoring average is among the highest ever at 26.7 ppg, here are 26.7 reasons why teams have passed on AI this summer, thus far.
| .7 | is how many steals per game AI averaged in his short return to Philadelphia in ‘10 |
| 26 |
were how many points AI scored in a 4th quarter of an Eastern Conference Finals game 5 in 2001, yet the 76ers still lost the game |
| 25 |
games were all AI played in his return to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2010. |
| 24 |
points were what AI scored in his debut with the Pistons, but he only had 9 better scoring games that season |
| 23 |
in 1997, a 21-year old Iverson crossed up and embarrassed a 33-year old MJ (#23) in an NBA game. We know from his HOF speech that MJ holds a grudge, so don’t expect AI to suit up for the Bobcats anytime soon. Of course, MJ did just sign Kwame Brown, again, so I guess anything is possible. |
| 22 |
wins were how many then rookie Allen Iverson led his 76ers to, only an improvement of 4 wins from the year before. That’s pretty low considering what a high-profile player he is; Larry Bird, for example, helped the Celtics win 32 more games in his rookie campaign. |
| 21 |
—how many points AI has scored in his last 3 all-star games (combined), not counting ’07 and ’10 in which he did not play |
| 20 |
tattoos AI has (maybe more) |
| 19 |
19th of December 2006 marked the date of AI’s trade from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Denver Nuggets. Unlike most predicted, the AI experiment failed in Denver as the team continued to bomb in the playoffs (1 win and 8 losses during AI’s tenure). During AI’s time, Denver fell from 4th in the west in ’06 to 6thand 8th in AI’s two seasons. AI’s two seasons are also the only 2 seasons out of the last 5 that Denver did not win the Northwest Division Title |
| 18 |
18 .83 is the average amount of games AI has missed over the last 6 seasons, so he’s been missing just under ¼ of each season |
| 17 |
minutes were all AI played in his first game with the Memphis Grizzlies. AI would play only 2 more games for Memphis |
| 16 |
million (almost $16.5) was how much AI made in his last season with the 76ers before being traded to Denver in late in 2006 |
| 15 |
was the sentence AI received after the infamous 1993 mob scene. Although he was exonerated of the charges, this event has—fairly or unfairly—haunted him though out his career. |
| 14 |
was the amount of times AI joked about practice in a 2002 press conference |
| 13 |
NBA championship rings are owned by players drafted after Allen Iverson (#1) in 1996. Remember who? (Answers at end) |
| 12 |
of his 14 seasons, AI has failed to play all 82 games |
| 11 |
11th on the all-time turnover list |
| 10 |
10,000,000—as in the 10 million dollars more AI made than the Pistons’ leading scorer, Richard Hamilton, in 2009 |
| 09 |
seasons AI shot under 80% from the free throw line |
| 08 |
AI refused to come off the bench while a member of the Detroit Pistons. He never played for that team again. |
| 07 |
AI is 1 of 7 all-time top-20 scorers (total points) without an NBA title. |
| 06 |
seasons AI has shot lower than 30% from behind the three-point arc |
| 05 |
seasons AI averaged more than 4 turnovers per game. |
| 04 |
2.5% shooter for his career, meaning AI is a volume shooter, rather than an efficient shooter |
| 03 |
rd non-gold in USA Basketball history on the 2004 Bronze team, of which AI was a co-captain and their leading scorer |
| 02 |
seasons AI scored less than 20 ppg (his 2 most recent seasons) |
| 01 |
of only 3 players—in the top 10—among the all-time points per game leaders, who never won an NBA title (Elgin Baylor and George Gervin). |
I still find it hard to be astonished by Iverson not being signed. When he signed with Philadelphia in ’10, we all knew it was his last chance to fly right, be the good soldier he has been in the past, and just play. He played 25 games. Yet, AI missed time to care for his ill daughter, and perhaps some team will look beyond his short stints in Detroit, Memphis, and Philadelphia and give him another shot.
I hate no players, let alone Allen Iverson—whose jersey I own—, so I’m also going to work on 26 reasons why a team should sign Iverson.
Answers:
Who from the 1996 Draft (1st round) has more titles than AI?
1. Allen Iverson (0 NBA titles)
5. Ray Allen (1)
6. Antoine Walker (1)
9. Samaki Walker (1)
13. Kobe Bryant (5)
24. Derek Fisher (5)
R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
