Blog Focus: Allen Iverson Retires
After just three games this season with the Memphis Grizzlies, Allen Iverson was not comfortable with his role, left the team and was eventually released. He visited the New York Knicks, who decided not to offer him a contract, and found no other team interested in his services at the moment.
Today, one of the most controversial and most popular players in NBA history retired with little fanfare, but sports blogs were there to reflect.
Ball Don't Lie: "Pissed off Jordan. Crossed over Jordan. Took over for Jordan as the league's most popular player, when the NBA was in its darkest era since the drug daze of the late 1970s. Won the MVP. Took home-court advantage from a swaggering, dominant Lakers team in the 2001 Finals. Made it, nearly, to the top. On his terms."
Black Sports Online: "I wouldn’t even call it a retirement, but more than him coming to the conclusion no one really wants him and as oppose to him feeling like the ugly girl in high school begging for a prom date, she decides to just stay at home and watch Lifetime instead of embarrassing herself by showing up alone."
Hoop Doctors: "Personally, I wouldn’t have expected, nay accepted, any less from ‘The Answer’. So what if he would not accept that he was no longer the artist on the basketball court that brought him to international fame? The man has no quit in him. That may sound odd given that we are talking about his retirement, but in actual fact when you look back at his career and accomplishments you will see a man that NEVER gave up. That played through countless injuries, that defied the odds, that fought battles of epic proportions in the likes of David vs. Goliath. I still think of Iverson attacking the basket against the giant Shaquille O’Neal in the 2001 NBA Finals, over and over and over again."
Detroit4lyfe: "Despite his troubles with coaches and front offices alike, Iverson was one of the most electrifying players the NBA has ever seen. He never seemed to think twice about throwing his slight 6-foot, 180-pound frame into the paint among players a foot (or more) taller than him. He averaged over 27 points and 6 assists a game for his career and is considered one of the best pound-for-pound players in NBA history. Unfortunately, Iverson will most likely not be remembered for his prodigous talent or warrior-like mentality. He will forever be remembered for his supersized ego and will always be synonymous with the word "practice.""
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