Allen Iverson says personal issues led to the demise of his NBA career
Former NBA super star Allen Iverson has accepted that his last couple of years in the league were very disappointing, but pointed to the many personal troubles he went through during that period as a major reason.
The former Philadelphia 76ers guard is now looking to get back into the NBA once the current lockout ends.
Iverson, who is one of the most prolific players in basketball history, departed the NBA on bad terms. The 10-time All Star could easily devastate any opposing team singlehandedly when on song, but he also had a history of causing
trouble in the locker room.
Iverson became infamous for rowing with coaches and not being in the right mindset towards the end of his career, when his splendid skills were fading, no longer enough to cover for the eccentric personality traits.
The former NBA MVP though says he wasn’t as bad a person as made out to be, it was just that he was having a hard time dealing with health problems of her daughter and a rocky divorce.
“That wasn’t me at all,” Iverson said in an interview published by Yahoo. “Obviously, I was dealing with the situation with my daughter and going through a divorce, and I wasn’t there mentally. In my career those last couple years
were so hard for me because I wasn’t there. Mentally, I wasn’t there.”
The player recalled how it started effecting his game, how he couldn’t concentrate on the court because of personal demons, and coupled with his already callous reputation, it spelled doom for “the answer”.
“During those 48 minutes on the basketball court, all I [ever] cared about was that time right there. Nothing else distracted me. But at times, I felt myself standing on the court just thinking about my daughter, thinking about
the situation with me and my wife. I wasn’t giving [the teams] everything I had mentally.”
He now wants to make a comeback in the NBA, but not many teams are believed to be keen on acquiring his services. Iverson last played to his full potential with the Denver Nuggets, but a lot has transpired since.
He caused a ruckus in the Memphis Grizzlies franchise when asked to come off the bench and wasn’t a pleasant addition to the Detroit Pistons either, which really is saying something.
Iverson couldn’t get a contract in the NBA last season, so he went abroad to play for Besiktas, in Turkey. The player though had to sit out most of the season because of injury troubles, which he now believes are behind him.
But at 36 years of age, with a recent injury and a history of less than perfect behaviour, it is going to take a brave NBA franchise to give the veteran star another shot in the league.
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