Though the 10-time All-Star and former league MVP has scored more than 23,000 points in his NBA career, he wasn't a highly sought-after free agent.

The 34-year-old guard heard all the talk that he's lost a step, that last year's dip in offensive production indicated he's on the downside of an All-Star career, maybe even ready for retirement.

Iverson wants to prove those critics wrong, and he'll get his chance in Memphis. He signed a 1-year contract yesterday with the Grizzlies - a team that hasn't reached the playoffs since 2006 and has never won a postseason game. The Grizzlies are coming off a 24-58 season that tied for fifth-worst in the NBA.

"This year for me is so personal," Iverson said.

"It's basically going to be my rookie season again. It hurts, but I turn the TV on, I read the paper, I listen to some of the things people say about me having the season that I had last year and me losing a step, things like that. They're trying to put me in a rocking chair already."

A base salary reported at about $3.5 million was increased after the Grizzlies withdrew a qualifying offer to guard Juan Carlos Navarro, freeing up more money.

The 13-year veteran, drafted first overall by the Sixers in 1996 and the league MVP in 2001, was welcomed with a standing ovation in an atmosphere that felt like a pep rally with fans welcomed to the lobby of the FedExForum.

Noteworthy

No further talks are scheduled - and when they do resume, it'll be without the commissioner.

Referees spokesman Lamell McMorris accused Stern of acting childish and not negotiating in good faith, so Stern removed himself from the process.

Without a deal soon, the NBA will begin the season with replacement officials for the first time since 1995.