Pronouncing "I will be a Sixer until the day I die," Allen Iverson formally announced his NBA retirement at a press conference in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Iverson last played in the NBA in the 2009-10 season, when he played three games with the Memphis Grizzlies and 25 during a second stint with the Sixers. He last played professionally in Turkey during the 2010-11 season but left halfway through the first season of a two-year contract. Iverson was offered a contract to play in the NBA Development League with the Texas Legends last year but ultimately declined it.
"I gave everything I had to basketball," Iverson told a throng of reporters at the Wells Fargo Center. "The passion is still there but the desire to play is not. It was a great ride."
Hall of Famer Julius Erving and John Thompson, Iverson's college coach at Georgetown, attended the news conference along with his mother, Ann, and three of his five children. The Sixers plan to retire the jersey of 1996 top pick during a Nov. 1 ceremony.
Iverson, 38, declined to directly address a number of issues that have dogged him in recent years, including reports of heavy drinking and financial woes, despite having earned more than $200 million over the course of his career.
"It does bother me, I have a heart just like everybody else," Iverson said of the recent stories. "People have encouraged me to publicly address those issues. But if I know and my family knows and people that are close to me know, why do I have to explain myself? It's hard having rhino skin sometimes. ... A negative story about Allen Iverson is going to sell regardless. Nobody wants to talk about what I do for charities. That's how this world is."
Several times Iverson said he had no regrets about anything in his playing career. It was a decorated career that included 11 All-Star Games, four scoring titles and the 2001 Most Valuable Player Award. He was one of the biggest draws in the NBA during that time and his popularity with young kids led Reebok to sign him to a lifetime contract.
Earlier this week, reigning MVP LeBron James said he felt Iverson was the best "pound-for-pound" player in league history because of his abilities and toughness despite being six feet and just 160 pounds. As he reflected on his career, Iverson said influencing players like James and the league's culture is one of his legacies.
"I took an a-- kicking for me being me in my career," Iverson said. "For me looking the way I look and me dressing the way I dress. It was just being me. Now, look around, now all of the guys in the NBA have tattoos. You used to think the suspect was the guy with the cornrows. Now you see the police officers with the cornrows. I took a beating for those type of things and I'm proud to say I changed a lot with this culture and this game."
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