Allen Iverson Live

“I’m thrilled,” said Brown, who coached Iverson and the 76ers for six seasons. “I think it’s a great thing …

“You know, he still can play, and he’s in an environment where they love him,” he said before the Bobcats played the Nets last night. “I don’t think there’s any athlete in Philly more loved than him.”

Iverson agreed Wednesday to a prorated amount of the $1.3 million veteran’s minimum one-season salary. The 6-foot guard will make his debut Monday night against the Denver Nuggets at the Wachovia Center.

“You know, I spoke to him when he retired,” Brown said. “It was just to keep people off his back and not have to answer that question. He’s been really, really troubled by this whole thing. And now it’s all behind him.”

Iverson’s return on Monday is surely to be in front of a sell-out crowd at the Wachovia Center.  Stay tuned for the latest!

Philly fans, pull out that No. 3 jersey from the closet. A.I. is a Sixer again.

In a move that appeared farfetched after their acrimonious split in 2006, the 76ers reunited with the briefly retired Iverson on Wednesday in a move designed to spike sagging attendance and fill in for the injured Lou Williams.

Coach Eddie Jordan said Iverson will likely start and stay the entire season.

“I told him I would like for him to start, and that’s where it sort of ended,” Jordan said. “And he was really like a kid at Christmas.”

Iverson will make his debut Monday night at home against Denver – one of three teams he’s called home since leaving Philly. The 10-time All-Star-turned-journeyman is determined to prove he still has something to offer in that No. 3 jersey.

Allen Iverson has heard a lot of negative comments during his tempestuous career. He wasn’t used to hearing them about his toughness, though. Iverson returned Sunday after missing 16 games with a back injury and scored eight points in 21 minutes of the Detroit Pistons’ 101-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

After the game, he acknowledged being hurt by media reports that he might not play again this season.

“The one thing that everyone has always known about me is that I’m a warrior—the doctors would say I’d be out two-four weeks, and I’d come back in a week,” he said. “So now I have an injury I’ve never had before—one that was bothering me—and people are suddenly questioning my courage. That was hard, but I know positive stories don’t sell.

At 33 years of  age, Iverson is still tough as nails.  Pistons play the league-leading Cavs tonight.  Should be a good one.