The uniform he wore last night was that of the Denver Nuggets, and there may come a time in the future when Iverson comes back to Philadelphia in another NBA team's colors.

But in 1996 Iverson was born into the National Basketball Association as a Sixer, and if nothing else was made clear during his emotional homecoming last night it is that he is a Sixer for life.

I know it. You know it. And after last night's emotion-packed event, Iverson knows it.

"Like I said before the game, I dreamed it up a certain way," Iverson said of his first game in Philadelphia since being traded to the Denver Nuggets in December 2006. "It was better than that. It was emotional. It made me feel good. It made me feel appreciated. It made me feel like the time that I was here was worthwhile.

"After leaving here, I felt like I was going to leave for good. But after that ovation and seeing the way the people here still care about me as a person, there is no way I can leave this place alone. I might have to change some plans. I might not be selling that house ."

With the exception of Denver losing, 115-113, things couldn't have worked out better for Iverson, who led all scorers with 32 points and had eight assists.

It started with the drive from the Nuggets' hotel, seeing all the sites of Philadelphia, the ones he may have taken for granted after seeing them almost on a daily basis for more than 10 years.

"I know this may sound strange but walking in here it don't seem like anything's changed," Iverson said in a media gathering before the game. "The same old traffic. It even smells the same in here."

The lights were lowered in the Wachovia Center. Public address announcer Matt Cord had just introduced Denver coach George Karl to a healthy round of boos. Then the moment came.

Earlier, when Iverson had walked out on the court for pregame warmups, the first thing he had done was go to center court and kiss the Sixers logo. But this was different.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome back from Georgetown University, at guard, No. 3, Al-len I-ver-son!!!!" Cord said.

They didn't need the cue; the ovation for Iverson had begun before the boos for Karl subsided.

Iverson, who for a decade had thrilled the same fans with his dynamic play as a Sixer, blew a kiss to one half of the arena and then turned and blew a kiss to the other half.

Then the former Sixers captain, the one who had taken the franchise to six playoff appearances and a trip to the 2001 NBA Finals, gave a captain's salute.

Iverson then three times pounded the huge heart that had captivated this city and followed it by raising his arm to the air. And as the ovation grew louder, the player who was arguably the greatest showman in Philadelphia sports history applied the coup de grace.

He jogged to the left sideline of the court and cupped his left hand to his ear - the trademark expression for his joy of playing basketball for this city, these fans.

The Wachovia Center erupted, maybe as loud as when Iverson was awarded the 2001 NBA MVP award - not as loud, however, as when he addressed the crowd after Game 7 of the 2001 NBA Eastern Conference finals, with the Sixers bound for the NBA Finals.

By my clock, the ovation for Iverson lasted 65 seconds, and it would have gone on longer if Cord hadn't introduced Denver guard Anthony Carter, for whom 20,000 cheering fans instantly started booing.

"That was big," Iverson said of the response from the crowd. "That's something I wanted. Everything was perfect except for one thing, not winning the game.

"That hurt a little bit, but there is a flip side to that. The way these people embraced me, the love that they showed me tonight, it just made me feel good about the basketball player and the person that I am."

Iverson said he did not cry, but he admitted his eyes were "burning." He conceded that when he returned to his hotel room and was alone, it was going to hit him and he would no longer be able to hold in his emotions.

It was cathartic.

Whatever hard feelings still linger from those dark days that ended when Iverson was traded to Denver on Dec. 19, 2006, were not manifested.

The silly gripes that have kept Iverson and Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks from speaking to each other since the trade were squashed when Iverson went to the Sixers bench before the game, hugged his former coach and friend and greeted his former teammates.

It was bittersweet, Iverson seeing the side of Sixers fans that he loved, but being on the other end of it.

"Philadelphia fans are the best in the sense that they care about their team," Iverson said. "They are diehard fans here. At times it was, 'I love you, A.I.,' but then it was, "We gonna whup your ass.'

"Yes, I respect you, and I love what you did, but I'm still Philly all the way. You've got to respect them for that. You've got to love them for that.

"I know the Philly fans, and they are damn near better than anybody."

Iverson is in Denver now. Professionally, he is fully committed to trying to help the Nuggets win a championship.

Still, there is no doubt he misses it here, the place that through trial by fire helped him grow from a 21-year-old kid into a man.

He's happy in Denver. Still, he has regrets. "I had a big hand in me getting traded," Iverson said, thinking back to how things could have been handled differently. "I always wanted to finish my career in Philadelphia, and the opportunity was there for me to do that. In a lot of ways, I made sure that didn't happen."

But Iverson now knows there always will be a place for him at the dinner table. *

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