Answer: Yes; Iverson Inks With Philadelphia 76ers

Sports News - December 2nd, 2009 - Written by John

So, about that whole retirement thing. NBA Betting Odds certainly did not predict the return of Iverson after only three weeks.

Allen Iverson's absence from the NBA lasted all of about three weeks after agreeing to join the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Iverson agreed to a one-year contract offered by the club, making his second tour with the club official.

"In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time," team president Ed Stefanski said in a release.

The injury he was referring to came on Nov. 24, when Williams, the team's starting point guard, broke his jaw. Williams was second on the team with 17.4 points and 5.1 assists in his fourth season, but will be out at least eight weeks after surgery.

Iverson recently became the 10th on the league's all-time scoring list during a brief stint with the Memphis Grizzlies at the beginning of the year. But unhappy with his share of playing time, and the emergence of several promising young players, he quietly asked to be released after only five games.

After brief talks with the New York Knicks dissipated, Iverson elected to retire instead of continuing his job search. But with the injury to Williams gave Philadelphia reason to inquire about a reunion, and offered the one-year, non-guaranteed contract. The contract is likely worth around $650,000.

For the first 10 years of his career, Iverson was the face of the franchise with the single-highest point average in team history (28.1), and most three-pointers (877). He is a seven-time All-Star with the club, and won the exhibition's MVP award twice. But when the team began losing in 2006, Iverson began throwing tantrums and was traded to the Denver Nuggets for essentially Andre Miller.

Iverson was the first overall pick by the Sixers in 1996, and is second on the team's all-time points list with 19,583. His all-time scoring average of 27 points is fifth-highest in league history, and his 29.7 scoring average in the playoffs is second only to Michael Jordan.

The Sixers are in desperate need of a spark. If the playoffs started on Wednesday, they would be five teams out, just 4 1/2 games shy of last place in the East. They are 5-13, third in the Atlantic division, and are quickly fading out of the playoff picture. They are second-to-last in attendance, averaging just under 12,000, and haven't won a series in the playoffs since '03, when Iverson was with the team.