Allen Iverson’s Retirement

Iverson's last NBA photo?

Keeping in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I suspect many hoops purists are grateful that Allen Iverson has decided to retire from the NBA.

With a career scoring average of 27.1 points per game (fifth all time), rising to 29.7 in the playoffs (second only to Michael Jordan), four scoring titles, and a MVP, there is no doubt Iverson will be inducted into the hall of fame.

Still, did his career have to end like this?

The indomitable spirit and uncompromising attitude that endeared him to fans also frustrated coaches and general managers, who discovered that accommodating Iverson meant forcing all other players to sacrifice their talents. Iverson had been the centerpiece of his team’s offense since childhood, and he never saw a reason to change. Indeed, one could argue that with his behavior in Detroit and Memphis, scoring was more important to Iverson than winning.

Even before his disappointing stints in Detroit and Memphis, there were signs that AI’s type was a dying breed in the NBA.

AI was the rare athlete whose influence extended beyond the playing field. With his cornrows, entourage, and dedication to “keeping it real,” Iverson symbolized the rise of hip-hop in pro sports, much like the Fab Five of Michigan did for college basketball in the early 1990s. He even recorded a rap album, which was unreleased.

But after the peak of his career, carrying the Philadelphia 76ers to the finals in 2001, the NBA began to move away from its identification with hip-hop. The league instituted a dress code in 2005 in response to criticism that the jogging suits, baggy jeans, and tennis shoes preferred by players off the court was not “professional.” Iverson’s co-star in Denver, Carmelo Anthony, got rid of his cornrows. AI’s street image has given way to the corporate-friendly types of Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and Dwight Howard.

I don’t believe we have seen the last of Iverson. As Brett Favre has shown, when a legendary athlete believes he can still perform at a high level, it’s hard to walk away from the game. And everyone acknowledges that Iverson can still play.

So, Iverson’s future will be determined by his willingness to put his pride and ego aside to embrace a new role. He has the opportunity to prove his critics wrong by growing up at the age of 34. But it is up to him.

Just as the hip-hop that Iverson loves has become more sophisticated in its business dealings in recent years, it will be interesting to see if Iverson has a similar maturation process.