Allen Iverson

A Closer Look At How Paul George Wound Up In Philadelphia

Bad weather caused a two-hour flight delay for Sixers owner Josh Harris and franchise legend Julius Erving as they headed to Los Angeles to meet with Paul George on Sunday, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. But they found a pleasant surprise when they arrived, as their No. 1 free agent target showed up wearing a T-shirt featuring another Sixers icon, Allen Iverson.

George’s other options were mostly exhausted by that point, so the late-night meeting was more or less a formality. The Clippers weren’t willing to give him the four-year contract he wanted, and the Magic, who were the other team George agreed to meet with, had already reached an agreement with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that limited their remaining cap space.

George happily accepted the four-year max offer, giving Sixers brass the player they had been hoping to acquire since James Harden demanded a trade last summer. Sources tell Shelburne that when Clippers executive Lawrence Frank originally called to ask about Harden, Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey asked for George in return. Frank wasn’t willing to consider it because L.A. was trying to compete for a title, but the team’s concerns about a long-term stay in the second apron eventually made George available in free agency.

Shelburne hears that after Kawhi Leonard agreed to a three-year, $150MM extension in January — after being eligible for four years at $221MM — there was pressure on George to accept a similar deal. At age 34, George was hoping to maximize what could be his final NBA contract, so he began to consider other options.

Sources tell Shelburne that the Clippers’ offers to George were for less guaranteed money than what Leonard received. She adds that George was aware that other teams were willing to give him a four-year max contract and he was disappointed by the Clippers’ resistance.

Shelburne confirms a weekend report that the Warriors made a serious effort to trade for George on Saturday as the deadline for picking up his $48.8MM option approached. Chris Paul‘s agreement to push back the guarantee date on his $30MM salary for next season was done in case Golden State needed to include all or part of that money in a deal with L.A.

Shelburne’s sources say there were talks at both the ownership and executive levels as the Warriors made numerous offers consisting of expiring contracts, young players and a 2027 first-round pick that would have been unprotected. The Clippers asked for Jonathan Kuminga to be included, but Shelburne hears that Golden State was unwilling to part with the talented young forward because they feared George’s interest in joining the Warriors would dip if they gave up too much to acquire him.

The trade ultimately died because of the Clippers’ reluctance to take back contracts that would push them into the second apron unless the talent level justified it.

Atlantic Notes: Iverson, Sixers, Watanabe, Raptors, Celtics

Former Sixers star Allen Iverson would be interested in working for an NBA team, he said during a conversation with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report (video link; hat tip to RealGM). Iverson told Rooks that he’s “forgotten more basketball than some people know” and would love to put his expertise to use by helping current NBA players — especially if he could so in Philadelphia with his old team.

“I’m a Sixer for life. I’ve got Sixer blood pumping through me. Everybody knows that I want to help that organization,” Iverson said. “I’ve been retired, what, 11 years? I don’t know how I’m not a part of that staff (in) some kind of way.”

Iverson added that he’s not necessarily interested in being “the guy that’s right up front” (ie. a head coach) and that even just being a consultant for the Sixers would make him happy.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

  • Addressing reports that the Sixers and Pacers have discussed a potential Ben Simmons trade, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer says that if the 76ers can get Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, and a future first-round pick in exchange for Simmons, they should pull the trigger. Philadelphia and Indiana have reportedly discussed both Brogdon and LeVert, though it’s unclear if either club has made an offer along those lines.
  • Raptors forward Yuta Watanabe is battling a left calf strain and won’t be available for Thursday’s game in Philadelphia, tweets Blake Murphy of The Athletic. As Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca tweets, the injury is considered minor, so hopefully it won’t affect Watanabe’s standing as he fights for a spot on Toronto’s 15-man regular season roster.
  • While Scottie Barnes is drawing far more interest, the Raptors‘ “other” rookies – Dalano Banton and Justin Champagnie – are also vying for playing time, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca details. Given the team’s roster turnover and injury issues, there are opportunities in the rotation available for the taking, Grange writes for Sportsnet.ca.
  • Al Horford‘s return to Boston reunites him with Robert Williams, who considered Horford a veteran role model during his previous stint with the Celtics. Jared Weiss of The Athletic spoke to the two big men about their relationship during Williams’ rookie year in 2018/19 and how they can help one another going forward.

Allen Iverson Among Greatest NBA/NFL What-Ifs

The world of sports is filled with dual-sport athletes who likely would have excelled if they had chosen another path. Mekhi Becton, who was selected by the New York Jets in this year’s NFL draft, was an explosive high school basketball athlete in Highland Springs, Virginia, before deciding to attend Louisville and focus on football full-time.

[Did you know that we are a dual-sport threat? Be sure to check out Pro Football Rumors for the latest news and rumors on the NFL Draft and offseason.]

One of the most famous examples of a player dominating in two sports and picking one over the other before college is another Virginia native, Allen Iverson.

Before going on to become a Hall of Fame player in the NBA, Iverson was in position to have a great football career. The Sixers great earned the State of Virginia’s High School Football Player of the Year and Basketball Player of the Year in the same season, as Tim Casey of VICE Sports details.

Iverson would have college recruiters, including Florida State’s staff, show up to his games. FSU believed Iverson could play quarterback for its football team while also playing point guard for the basketball team, similar to how Charlie Ward played both sports (Ward won a Heisman trophy in 1993 before playing 11 years in the NBA).

“We were on him hard,” former Florida State assistant head coach Chuck Amato previously told Casey  “He was just a great athlete and a competitor. He would’ve been the first Michael Vick.”

Vick, another Virginia athlete, was arguably the most electric playmaker ever to play college football. Iverson ultimately played basketball at Georgetown, but he missed the gridiron. While in the program, he approached coach John Thompson about playing for Georgetown’s football team and had his request denied.

“He said, ‘I’ll tell you what I think about you playing football. If you don’t get your skinny black [explicit] the eff out of my face…you better,'” Iverson told SLAM back in 2012. “Just like that. I never thought about playing football again after that. I mean, he made it clear that this is not why I was here.”

Iverson’s former football coach believes the now 44-year-old would have had a career similar to Deion Sanders. Iverson certainly thrived in the craft he pursued — he was the No. 1 pick in 1996 by the Sixers and he made 11 All-Star games in his career. Still, you wonder, what if…

“Football is always going to be my No. 1 sport,” Iverson said back in 2016. “It was my first love. Obviously if things went another way, I probably would have ended up playing football instead of basketball, but God got his way of doing things.”

In honor of this week’s NFL draft, here are a few others who showed off a combination of basketball and football talent:

  • Longtime NBA guard and three-time Slam Dunk champion Nate Robinson, who appeared in more than 600 regular season games for eight NBA teams, initially enrolled at the University of Washington on a football scholarship before concentrating on basketball beginning in his sophomore year. At the end of his 11-year NBA career in 2016, the former Huskies defensive back tried out for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
  • Antonio Gates, one of the NFL’s all-time best tight ends, put up impressive numbers as a basketball player at Kent State, averaging 20.6 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG in 2002/03 on his way to All-MAC First Team honors. While Gates’ 955 career receptions and 116 total touchdowns in the NFL suggest he made the right choice, he has admitted to wondering how he might have performed in the NBA.
  • Before he was an NBA team president or head coach, Pat Riley was a two-sport athlete, having been drafted in 1967 by the San Diego Rockets in the NBA and as a wide receiver by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL. The Cowboys selected Riley and recruited him despite the fact that he hadn’t played football since high school. Although Riley says he considered playing in the NFL, he ultimately opted for the more viable basketball path and has now spent more than five decades in in the NBA as a player, broadcaster, coach, and executive.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

And-Ones: Lowry, M. Gasol, D-League, BIG3

All-Star guard Kyle Lowry, who underwent wrist surgery last week, confirmed that the injury wasn’t exactly a new one. As Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun details, Lowry has been dealing with wrist problems for a while, but aggravated it prior to the All-Star break, necessitating surgery.

“From what I’ve been told, it’s a 10-year process,” Lowry said. “It’s a long process of wear and tear, and bumping and grinding, and hitting guys. It’s a little bit of wear and tear. It was just at the point where it got a little bit worse to the point where I couldn’t play. If it’s that serious for me, I knew it was something that needed to be checked on.”

Although Lowry has a plan in mind for when he’d like to return, the Raptors guard was unwilling to lay out his recovery timetable publicly, telling reporters that he just wants to be sure he’s “completely healthy” when he gets back on the court: “I don’t want to have to be not full Kyle going into any situation. I want to be able to go out and play and not have any hold-back.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the NBA:

  • After signing with Octagon Sports last year, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has left that agency and is currently without representation, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter). Gasol’s max contract won’t expire until at least 2019, so he won’t need to negotiate a new contract anytime soon.
  • While most NBA pundits who handed out grades for deadline trades did so just hours after the trade deadline passed last month, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer decided to wait a couple weeks to see how players meshed with their new teams. The Wizards, Raptors, Mavericks, and Rockets are among the teams to get high grades, while the Pelicans have earned an F so far, with the potential for an eventual A if they can figure things out with DeMarcus Cousins.
  • Former NBA players Jabari Brown, Jerrelle Benimon, and Shane Edwards have signed D-League contracts, according to Chris Reichert of The Step Back (all Twitter links). As Reichert notes (via Twitter), Brown’s rights are held by the Santa Cruz Warriors, while Benimon’s are held by the Delaware 87ers.
  • Allen Iverson and DerMarr Johnson will serve as co-captains for a BIG3 team called 3’s Company, according to the league’s website. Iverson and Johnson will fill out the rest of their five-man roster via the BIG3 draft pool.

Kenny Anderson, Jamario Moon Among Additions To BIG3

Five players have been announced as additions to the BIG3 league, President & Commissioner Roger Mason Jr. announced in a press release. Former Slam Dunk Contest participant Jamario Moon will join the league, as will Kenny Anderson, Etan Thomas, Ruben Patterson, and Smush Parker.

“There has been an outpouring of interest from our professional basketball community. We are so excited to bring quality players to the draft. We are building something special with this league. A league for the players, by the players,” Mason Jr. said.

BIG3’s talent pool has come together nicely since its January 11 inception, as NBA legends Allen Iverson, Jermaine O’Neal, Jason Williams, and more are set to resume their careers in a 3-on-3 format. While the league has scooped up players with recent NBA experience, Hall-of-Famers George Gervin and Clyde Drexler will serve crucial roles as coaches and ambassadors of the league.

Allen Iverson Commits To New BIG3 League As Player/Coach

Hall-of-Famer Allen Iverson has committed to join the new BIG3 basketball league debuting this summer, and will serve as both a coach and a player, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Wojnarowski first reported last month that entertainer Ice Cube and former NBA player Roger Mason were working together to launch the league, having secured commitments from several retired NBA veterans.

[RELATED: New Pro League For Retired Players To Debut In 2017]

“I thought of this concept as a fan who got sick of seeing his heroes retire and not play anymore,” Ice Cube said at the time. “A lot of these guys can still play once they retire – just not the back-to-backs or four games in five nights.

“Not only do we get a chance to see these guys keep playing, but we give guys who retired who still got some game – who don’t want to pick up a [microphone] on TV and who don’t want to go overseas to play … some of these guys still want a stage to play on.”

Kenyon Martin, Rashard Lewis, Jermaine O’Neal, Stephen Jackson and Jason Williams were among the former NBA players initially reported to have committed to the BIG3, a half-court, three-on-three professional basketball league. In his latest report, Wojnarowski adds Chauncey Billups to that list of players.

According to Wojnarowski, Iverson will be one of eight dual head coaches/players in the league, which will feature eight teams. In his December report, Wojnarowski indicated that Gary Payton had agreed to be one of the coaches, though it’s not clear if The Glove would be a player as well.

The BIG3 conducted its first official press conference today, fielding questions about the league and introducing Iverson, Lewis, Martin, and Mason (Twitter link via Ian Begley of ESPN.com). A tweet from the BIG3 indicated that the league is expected to launch on June 24, shortly after the NBA Finals end.

And-Ones: Dalembert, S. Jackson, Larkin

Longtime NBA center Samuel Dalembert is facing battery charges for allegedly pushing his girlfriend and then choking her cousin when he tried to intervene, according to an Associated Press report (link via ESPN.com). Dalembert, whose last NBA action came with the Knicks in 2014/15, played in China last season, so it’s not clear whether he’s still hoping for an NBA comeback — if he is, his arrest likely reduced his chances of returning.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the league:

  • Stephen Jackson continues to seek an NBA job, and tells Rodger Bohn of SlamOnline.com that he isn’t interested in heading overseas or playing in the D-League. “NBA or nothing, man,” Jackson said. “I don’t need the money. I just want to give back to the game. Anything else is a step down, so I just want to give the NBA a shot.”
  • Former first-round pick Shane Larkin, who spoke to HoopsHype last month about his decision to opt out of his Nets contract and sign in Spain, discussed the move overseas with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Larkin stressed that he’s excited about the opportunity to play for Baskonia, pointing to the impressive list of NBA players who have played for the team in the past.
  • As Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk passes along, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue told TMZ that his old NBA Finals nemesis Allen Iverson would be welcome to “come coach with me” if Iverson has interest in pursuing a coaching career.

Eastern Notes: Iverson, Anthony, Thibodeau

The big news of the night was the Sixers officially retiring Allen Iverson‘s #3 during a halftime ceremony at tonight’s contest with the Wizards. Iverson had officially announced his retirement back in October. He averaged 26.7 PPG and 6.2 APG in 914 career regular-season games, and scored 29.7 PPG in 71 career playoff games. Iverson, who also saw action with the Nuggets, Pistons, and Grizzlies, was an 11-time All-Star, a four-time scoring champion, a three-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and won the MVP award in 2001. Congrats go out to A.I..

More from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Gary Neal is overjoyed at the trade that sent him to the Bobcats, writes Dan McCarney of MySanAntonio.com. Neal told McCarney that he got on the first available plane out of the city, as he wasn’t fond of how he was utilized in Milwaukee, nor about the direction of the franchise. Neal stated, “I’m excited to be playing meaningful basketball again. After three years of being with the Spurs, with every possession of every game counting I’m just glad to being back to that. I’m a little too old for the tanking situation.”
  • Jay Yeomans of the Deseret News analyzes how Jimmer Fredette fits in with the Bulls, who he is rumored to have reached an agreement with earlier today.
  • With free-agency right around the corner, Carmelo Anthony must be taking notice of how much has gone wrong with the Knicks, writes Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
  • If ‘Melo is really committed to winning, then he should follow the example of Miami’s “Big-Three”, writes Moke Hamilton of SNY.tv. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh all took less to fit in under the salary cap, and Anthony should consider that before signing his next contract, opines Hamilton. It will be the only way for him to bring other star players to New York.
  • The Knicks might attempt to acquire Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau after the season if they let go of Mike Woodson. Marc Berman of the New York Post looks at why the Knicks should try, the probability of the Bulls letting him go, and what it might cost.
  • Tom Moore of Calkins Media looks at what Sixers GM Sam Hinkie can do with the five second-round picks the team has in this year’s draft.
  • Metta World Peace has interest in joining the Pistons, according to his brother, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Allen Iverson Officially Announces Retirement

OCTOBER 30TH: Iverson officially announced his retirement this afternoon from Philadelphia, on NBA TV.

OCTOBER 17TH: Iverson will officially announce his retirement at the Sixers’ home opener against the Heat on October 30th, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

AUGUST 21ST: Allen Iverson hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2009/10 season, but in the years since then, he has played overseas and continued to try to make an NBA comeback. It appears the 38-year-old is finally ready to call it a career though. According to Tzvi Twersky of SLAM, Iverson is prepared to officially announce his retirement in the coming days.

As recently as this March, Iverson indicated that he’d love the opportunity to play in the NBA again, but it has now been three and a half years since his last game for the 76ers. No NBA club has elected to roll the dice on him since then, and Iverson was unwilling to play in the D-League this past year as an audition of sorts.

Assuming Iverson makes it official in the near future, he’ll retire as the NBA’s 19th-leading scorer of all time, though Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Tim Duncan are right on his heels and could pass him next season. Iverson averaged 26.7 PPG and 6.2 APG in 914 career regular-season contests, and increased his scoring average to 29.7 PPG in 71 playoff games. The longtime Sixer, who also spent time with the Nuggets, Pistons, and Grizzlies, was an 11-time All-Star, a four-time scoring champion, a three-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and won the MVP award in 2001.

In addition to his on-court achievements, the former first overall pick played a significant role in the evolution of the NBA’s off-court culture over the last two decades. According to Basketball-Reference, Iverson also earned more than $154MM during his 14-year NBA career.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Carmelo, Fields

The New York Post’s Marc Berman (via Twitter) thinks it was a bad sign for C.J. Leslie’s chances of making the Knicks roster after the rookie forward didn’t receive any playing time during tonight’s pre-season game against the Wizards. On the other hand, Berman and Newsday’s Al Iannazzone both made note that Knicks head coach Mike Woodson was particularly pleased with training camp invites Toure Murry and Ike Diogu (Twitter links). It should be noted that Murry and Diogu are playing on non-guaranteed contracts, while Leslie has a partially-guaranteed deal.

Here are some more links to pass along out of the Atlantic Division:

  • ESPN New York’s Ian O’Connor writes that unless the Knicks are clearly the best option for a chance to win a ring, Carmelo Anthony would be foolish to not test the waters in free agency next summer. O’Connor argues that opting out would put pressure on GM Steve Mills to come up with a viable championship vision and abandon the idea of relying on J.R. Smith and Andrea Bargnani as the next best options on offense.
  • Raptors head coach Dwane Casey tells Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun that he wants the second unit to be able to increase leads or hold serve when they enter the game, and added that Landry Fields‘ ability to knock down shots – in addition to the other intangibles he brings to the table – would be a huge plus for the team.
  • Casey also had this to say about training camp hopeful Julyan Stone: “He reminds me of a younger Nate McMillan with that long, lanky body that can defend. He showed that he can play,” 
  • Though ESPN had originally reported that Allen Iverson plans to officially announce his retirement before the 76ers host the Heat in their home opener, a team spokesperson could not confirm the report (Tom Moore of Bucks County Courier Times).