Iverson officially done with the Sixers
The Sixers announced today that Allen Iverson will not be returning to the team for the rest of the season, perhaps ending his career.
Iverson officially done with the Sixers
Bob Cooney
The Sixers made it official this morning that guard Allen Iverson will not be returning to the team this season.
Iverson missed five games before the All-Star break to be with his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah, who is suffering from an undisclosed illness. After coming back for a three-game stint, Iverson left again before the team embarked on a west coast swing and has not returned, missing the past four games.
It would appear that Iverson's career has come to an end, as his game, as well as his desire to keep playing it, appears to have diminished significantly as the season went on.
In a statement, president and general manager Ed Stefanski said: "After discussing the situation with Allen, we have come to the conclusion that he will not return to the Sixers for the remainder of the season, as he no longer wishes to be a distraction to the organization and teammates that he loves very deeply. It has been very difficult for Allen and the team to maintain any consistency as he tries to balance his career with his personal life."
The team said they will release any additional updates on Iverson's status as they become available.
Good riddance to a distraction. His days are over and he will soon be broke, living in a dump and whinning about how he got screwed by the system.— bling
What does he care, he cashing the checks— silkcity19- Allen will go down as one of my favorite Sixers behind only DR. J. He was fun to watch and brought his best effort every game. He deserves more. His daughter is ill and that has to be weighing heavily on him. He will go down as one of the best Sixers of all time. He loved our city and the fans.— MBB
- He's done. They're done. Jordan is clueless. Igoudala is a punk. Stefanski's sucks. This franchise is a joke— OMIGODEAGLES
- Can someone please fire Stefanski!!! He's done a great job, right? Eddie Jordon, a way-too-over-the-hill AI, bloated contracts, subpar record, etc. What a brain-trust we have in charge of managing day-to-day operations.— Jeff Father
- The Sixers probably made enough money in his first game back to pay his salary for the rest of the year. It was a good move at the time. Now it's time for him to go. Wish him well.— Rick Wise Guy
- One of the top three Sixers to ever don the uniform, fact. Maybe he'll come back 100% next season for the first time since his rookie year!— dr.elektrika
- Congradulations AI, you made a good decision. The Sixers are not a winning team, rather or not you were there. There is no need to destroy your body any further with these losers. They have no motivation to win (If they did, they would get rid of the coach first). There is a time in everyone's life where we must realize that it's time to hang it up. You were a great player and will never be forgotten in Philly. You and family come first before sports. You know the sport, so teach (coach). But, you must make the practices first. LOL (Just joking) Good Luck and thank you, AI— outlaw
- Agreed with most of you that despite the headaches he did give us some great memories, some good and some bad. But looking back on the bad you can't help by laugh sometimes. It is what it is at this point and he'll always be remembered as one of Philly's greatest. I wish him and his family the best.— PhillyKid126
- Good.... they should have never brought him back...— Brauny
- AI is still the man.. the Sixers are terrible regardless let him deal with his family— GregfromMarlton
- AI was the best thing the team had going in recent memory. He was a true warrior and truly wanted to win. At his size, he was outstanding and fun to watch. I hope he officially retires and gets his deserved send off from the Sixers. Good luck AI!!— psuwelsh
- Hey Mariemilo, Yeah, how about John Stockton.— ALJ
- Nice he waited until the contract was guaranteed.— JSaq
AI had some holes in his game, but he was always out there. I would disagree that he was the best little man, but he was by far the toughest. To quote the great Charles Cook, "Iverson is a one man gang"
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
