Allen Iverson Live

Allen Iverson will sit out a second straight game because one of his children is ill.

Team officials say Allen Iverson will miss Friday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets. He also sat out the 76ers’ overtime win over Chicago on Wednesday. He will be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game at Houston.

Allen Iverson will not play against the Chicago Bulls because one of his children is ill. The team announced the All-Star guard will sit out the home game Wednesday night. He was excused from practice on Tuesday to deal with the issue. He is expected to play Friday at New Orleans.

Iverson has averaged 14.4 points in 25 games since he returned to the Sixers in December. He was voted an Eastern Conference All-Star for the Feb. 14 game.

Allen Iverson and the Sixers snapped their 3-game losing streak with a win over New Jersey Nets on Sunday. The two AI’s held up in the fourth – Andre Iguodala scored 14 points, including seven in a key portion of the third quarter, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to an 83-79 victory over the Nets on Sunday night.
The Nets got within 76-74 with 2:36 remaining, but Iguodala nailed a clutch jumper with 1:28 remaining. Allen Iverson(notes), who had 11 points, made two free throws with 33 seconds to play.

It was a throwback duel between Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant and the fans got what they paid to see. Too bad it was just like in the 2001 NBA finals, where Bryant’s Lakers topped Allen Iverson’s 76ers.

Allen Iverson had a season high 23 points, while Bryant roused the 20,000 fans who came to jeer him as much as they did to root on the 76ers, scoring 24 points to lead Los Angeles to a 99-91 win over Philadelphia on Friday night.

Iverson and Bryant are responsible for Philadelphia’s only two sellouts this season. Iverson’s first game back in Philadelphia drew 20,664, and Bryant helped draw 20,809 on Friday.

Iverson showed a glimpse of his former MVP self when he crossed-over Derek Fisher(notes) and tossed up a running bank shot as his 6-foot frame slammed onto the unforgiving court. He sank the free throw to complete the three-point play that was vintage Iverson and make it 68-63.

Bryant made the call to guard Iverson at the end of the quarter for a brief 1-on-1 matchup between 3 and 24.

“He’s a scorer, he and I both,” Bryant said. “That’s what we do. We can score when we’re 70 years old.”

“I just got it going a little bit,” Iverson said.

Iverson scored 15 points on 6 for 7 shooting in the third to top Bryant’s 5 of 7, 14-point quarter. Iverson and Bryant each made 10 baskets in the game from the floor.

“That’s what Allen can do,” Phil Jackson said. “I don’t know if he can do it for 48, but he can still do that.”

Iverson insisted he was so focused on trying to win the game, he didn’t get caught up trying to outshine Bryant. He also refused to draw parallels between his career with Bryant’s.

“It’s evident that he is one of the best ever to do it,” Iverson said. “He goes out there night in and night out and plays the same way every night.”

There is no need for Allen Iverson to apologize to anyone for being voted as an NBA All-Star for the 11th time in his career. And if his critics don’t feel he deserves the nod to represent the Eastern Conference, well, that’s too bad. He’ll be ready to play the Feb. 14 game at Cowboys Stadium.

“The way I look at it is, what should I do?” Iverson said Friday night. “Should I worry about what those people say or concentrate on the million-plus people that voted for me. To me, it’s a no-brainer. My fans want to see me play and they have the right to put in who they want to put in the game.

“They voted me in, and it’s an honor. I don’t want to disrespect them by not participating in the game,” he said.

Iverson called the fan support a blessing and said fans love him because he’s never pretended to be perfect.

“I don’t try and be the perfect man in this world,” he said. “I don’t think people are ever going to look at me like that. They never looked at me like that. I think a lot of people in the world respect that, me being true and honest to myself.”

The 34-year-old Iverson refuses to accept this could be his last All-Star game.

That’s good news, we’re glad to hear that from A.I.

Allen Iverson has helped the Sixers win two games in a row since he was voted as a starter to the All-Star 2010 game. Iverson had 17 points, five rebounds and three assists in the 76ers’ 107-97 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.

More importantly, Iverson is winning the respect of his team mates.  His team first approach with the Philadelphia 76ers has earned him respect from his teammates and fans.

“He means a lot more than his numbers,” Philadelphia coach Eddie Jordan said. “His spirit gives us momentum, his spirit gives us confidence, it gives us a sounding board, it gives us a calming effect. He means a lot.

“He’s special to us. He’s not the Allen we used to know back in 2001, but he adds leadership, toughness and some experience.”

Iverson, whose reputation took a hit in recent years after turbulent stops in Detroit and Memphis, has impressed his 76ers teammates with his maturity.

“He’s been great with us,” said Philadelphia forward Elton Brand, who scored 23 points. “You hear the rumors and stories over the years, and it’s great to see him in this light because he totally has a positive image to me.”

“The most important thing is for us to take it one game at a time and not try to look forward,” Iverson said. “I think the sky’s the limit.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia Sixers stun the Dallas Mavericks 92-81. Sixers finally managed to hold on to the early double-digit lead to help the Sixers grab an early double-digit lead and hold on to beat the second-best team in the West.
ordan was glad Iverson was voted an Eastern Conference All-Star starter. “The fans remember him as an exciting player and he’s certainly added another dimension for us,” Jordan said. “He’s very popular, that’s what the voting is for.”

It’s official. The fans have spoken. Allen Iverson has been voted in as starter in the 2010 All-Star Game. And it’s all thanks to you guys! Thank you all who helped contribute by voting for Allen every day and making him a starter for the 11th time in his career. It goes to show that Allen Iverson is still one of the most popular players in the league.

Here’s what The Answer had to say in a statement:

“I just want to thank everybody for their support this season and it’s an honor that the fans have voted me into the All-Star game as a starter,” Iverson said in a statement. “The fans are who make us and make the NBA so popular. This year is even more special because I’ll be representing a city and fans that I love and a team that has been such a big part of my life throughout my career.”

Sources say that Allen Iverson has been voted into the Feb. 14th game in Dallas as a starter for the Eastern Conference. This will be Iverson’s 11th All-Star appearance. he NBA will officially release the voting results Thursday night during TNT’s doubleheader broadcast.

ESPN has announced the TV air-date for the acclaimed 30 for 30 series, which features No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson.  The air-date is April 13, 8 p.m.
Here is the narrative:

On Valentine’s Day 1993, 17-year-old Bethel High School basketball star Allen Iverson was bowling in Hampton, Va., with five high school friends. It was supposed to be an ordinary evening, but it became a night that defined Iverson’s young life. A quarrel soon erupted into a brawl pitting Iverson’s young, black friends against a group of white patrons. The fallout from the fight and the handling of the subsequent trial landed the teenager — considered by some the nation’s best high school athlete — in jail and sharply divided the city along racial lines. Oscar nominee Steve James (Hoop Dreams) returns to his hometown of Hampton, where he once played basketball, to take a personal look at this still-disputed incident and examine its impact on Iverson and the shared community.

Download the Press Release.

Having blowing a 20-point lead against the Wolves, the Sixers reviewed and looked deep to find the Killer Instinct that is sorely lacking.

“I don’t think you can teach that,” point guard Allen Iverson said about the killer instinct. “That has to be something that’s in you already. You just got to have it. I think you get it by just wanting to win. You just want to win; you just have to have it.”

Iverson continued: “More than half of the games we’ve lost since I’ve been here, they should have been wins. And if I’m hearing what everybody’s saying to me about before I got here, it was the same way.”

At the end of regulation Monday, when the Sixers had the ball and a chance to win, Jordan kept Iverson on the bench. Instead he drew a play for swingman Andre Iguodala, who ended with a difficult 19-footer that missed at the buzzer.

Iverson, who did not play in overtime either, said Jordan’s decision to keep him on the bench surprised him.

“Yeah, especially the way my career has gone – that’s something that’s never happened to me,” Iverson said. “Four seconds on the clock, I’m pretty sure I could at least be a decoy or something like that.”

Jordan said he didn’t use Iverson because “Allen had been sitting.” Jordan had removed Iverson from the game with 51.8 seconds remaining.

“I wanted to put the ball in Andre’s hand,” the coach said. “I thought he had a good look.”

Jordan added: “I’ve gone so many different ways for these end-of-games: I went to Marreese [Speights] in the post, they double-team him and he kicked it out for an open shot. I’ve gone with Allen a couple of times. So we haven’t had much success.”

With his team lacking it, Jordan tried to define “killer instinct.”

“Killer instinct is a straight-line drive to the basket, not between your legs and a spin dribble,” he said. “That sort of thing. It’s a mind-set more than anything else.”

Coach Eddie Jordan’s job may be on the line as they Sixers once again blow a massive lead to lose the T-Wolves in overtime 108-103.

“The old skeletons came out of the closet for us,” Jordan said.

Allen Iversonhad 11 points and nine assists, but did not play at all in overtime for Philadelphia.

Jordan pulled Iverson with 51.6 seconds remaining in regulation and then never returned him to the floor – not for regulation’s final play, nor for the entire overtime.

“Coaches go off their gut feeling and you have to live with it,” said Iverson, who finished with 11 points and nine assists. “He lives with things I do on the basketball court that aren’t always the right thing for the team and allows me to make mistakes. My whole thing is to let him coach and make the decisions he makes and support him.”

Allen Iverson scored 17 points as the Sixers beat the Kings 98-86. The Sixers seem to be gaining some momentum in the last couple games, and they’re able to get stops on the defensive end.

Iverson’s line: 17pts, 6Ast, 34Min.

“On the defensive end of the court, we just got stops,” Allen Iverson (17 points) said of his team’s play in the fourth quarter when the Kings made only four of 12 shots. “We were able to get some momentum down the other end of the court, and that’s the most important thing for us, to try to get stops and try to run again and not have to play against halfcourt defense, not have to play against zones. Obviously, that’s not what we want to do. It’s hard for teams to guard us when we have so many scorers on the floor.”

In other news, Dalembert felt some personal peace that family members were alive. But hearing the first-hand accounts of the extreme death and destruction in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince has left the NBA’s only Haitian wanting to help his countrymen so much more.

My heart and wishes go to the people of Haiti.

Despite nursing a troubled knee, Allen Iverson chose not to skip practice.

“I was surprised,” Coach Jordan said with a smile before turning serious. “He wanted to practice today to show leadership. He feels good about our growth. It’s very encouraging.”

76ers coach Eddie Jordan understood the irony yesterday when he was asked about Allen Iverson’s participating in practice after he had played 34 minutes in the team’s 93-92 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.

The veteran guard is nursing a troublesome left knee that has made his availability day-to-day.

“We had our opportunity to win the game,” Iverson said. “We were one shot away. We had a lead in the fourth quarter, and we let it get away. It’s extremely hard to come in here after a loss, especially a loss like that. It’s something we have to do. It’s our job to come in here and give everything you’ve got.

“We tried to get something out of the practice, and that’s what we did today.”

A.I.’s gratitude. Iverson on being second among Eastern Conference guards in the All-Star Game fan voting:

“That’s an honor. Without the fans, there wouldn’t be us. I think my situation is unique. I haven’t played as much as the other guys, but the fans want to see me play. That’s a good feeling, just to know that people that support us and make us want to see me play. That’s a great feeling, but it’s also a tribute to the teammates and the coaches I’ve had.”

Allen Iverson has said that he will have to consider whether, physically, it would be in his best interests to play. As you all know, AI is out with a bad knee and he could be risking it.

Iverson made his comments about the game on Friday. Suffering from arthritis in his left knee, he did not travel with the 76ers for last night’s game with the Detroit Pistons. That same condition caused Iverson to miss four games in the middle of December.

Last night, there was some talk in Detroit – where Iverson played 54 games last season after being traded from the Denver Nuggets – that the 6-foot guard was dodging the Pistons and their fans.

“That would never be the case,” said Detroit coach John Kuester, who coached Iverson as an assistant with the Sixers from 1997 to 2003. “Allen Iverson is one of the ultimate competitors, especially when you turn the lights on. That would never be the case.”

The Sixers will play Allen Iverson’s former team, the Detroit Pistons, tonight and some say he will get a rude reception from the Detroit Fans. Or will he? It seems that Allen Iverson was injured during the last game when he was kneed on the knee. Report says that he didn’t travel to Detroit. So he may not hear it from the crowd after all. Hopefully, however, Allen is healthy enough to play in the All-Star game, where he is voted a starter with Dwayne Wade.

Iverson is second in voting behind Miami’s Dwyane Wade for East guards. Iverson says he would “absolutely” attend the Feb. 14 at Arlington, Texas.

“The fans make us,” Iverson said. “It’s a special accomplishment when people want to see you play.”

He added that he hasn’t entirely ruled out playing. He just wants to be smart about his decision.

“We’re going to make the best decision for this team,” he said.

Iverson said his knee had been feeling better, but flared up after Philadelphia’s loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. He said the knee swelled up the next two days.

Allen Iverson played his 900th game in an NBA uniform, but the Sixers fell victim to to themselves as they cold not hold on to win as they gave away a 13-point advantage in a 108-106 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Iverson finished with 22 points.  It’s clear that Sixers owner Ed Stefanski is not please and speculation is that Coach Eddie Jordan’s job is on the line.  Allen Iverson also unveiled a new colorway to the Answer XIII’s last game with the Sixers colors (blue, white, red) – tight.

This just in: Allen Iverson’s contract with the Sixers will be guaranteed for the remainder of the season, as reported by the Sixers.com Twitter account:

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that Allen Iverson’s contract with the team will be guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Per team policy, no further terms of the deal are disclosed.

“Since his arrival, Allen has done everything asked of him and has been an excellent teammate,” Stefanski said.

Iverson (6-0, 165) has started nine games for the Sixers this season, averaging 15.7 points, 4.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.00 steals in 33.2 minutes per game. He is also currently shooting a career-high 46.5% from the floor.

Full Story Here

There has been speculation out there that Allen Iverson will be release by the Philadelphia 76ers because of his non-guaranteed contract. They can release him anytime before Jan. 10 without his contract being guaranteed for the rest of the season.

However, there is no indication that the Sixers owner will be releasing Iverson any time soon. In a recent interview with Ed Stefanski, the owner of the Sixers, Stefanski won’t say what he’s going to do, only that, “We still have time to make a decision.”
But reading between the lines indicates that Iverson will remain a Sixer.

“He’s been a great teammate and has done everything we’ve asked of him,” Stefanski said. “On the court, he’s practiced. During timeouts, he’s encouraging guys. Having Allen in there brings a calmness to the team. He makes other players feel better about themselves.”

Let’s hope that Iverson will remain on the Sixers after this week. Stay tuned.

Allen Iverson scored 17 points as the Sixers beat his former team the Denver Nuggets. It was Iverson’s third win against the team that traded him to Detroit three games into the 2008-09 season, and two of those have come in Denver.

“It’s great to come back,” said Iverson, who led the 76ers in scoring for the first time since re-signing Dec. 2. “The fans still have love for me.”