“I committed professional suicide” – Allen Iverson admits his ego cost him the final years of his NBA career

Allen Iverson was one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA. At six feet tall and 165 pounds, Iverson was the shortest and lightest player to win the NBA’s MVP award. Iverson also led the league in scoring four times and steals three times. He was a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.

However, unlike most players with the same resume, Iverson did not get his well-deserved farewell in the NBA because his career ended abruptly; he played one more year in Turkey before calling it a day. Reflecting on his journey recently, Iverson said his ego kept him from giving his NBA career the ending it truly deserved.

“I think that I realized even before going there (Turkey) and while it was going on that I committed professional suicide,”Iverson explained. “Like I knew it, with the decisions I was making. I was kind of like not accepting the fact that I had to prove myself again. Like a lot of the teams, they were talking about bringing me in, but they were already talking about me coming off the bench.”

Iverson was always the Answer

Iverson was born to be a star, and he was always one, from his glory days at Bethel High School to his short stay at Georgetown, and his best days as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. As such, he started every game played, and even after the Sixers traded him to the Denver Nuggets, A.I. retained that first-team status.

However, things started to change when he was dealt to the Detroit Pistons. Although A.I. was promised a starting position in Motown, head coach Michael Curry asked him to come off the bench after he returned from a back injury.

Iverson told the Pistons that, as a former MVP, he would rather retire than come off the bench. Detroit ended up shutting Iverson down for the rest of the 2008-09 season, and that was the beginning of the end.

He lasted only 3 games with the Grizzlies

In September 2009, A.I. signed a one-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. Once again, the Grizzlies asked Iverson to come off the bench as they were keen on starting prized rookie O.J. Mayo.

At first, he agreed to do so, but he quickly became unhappy with the role and ended up playing only three games for the Grizzlies.

“I mean, I’m cool.’ Training camp, like… I know you’re not going to have a two-guard on your squad better than me. I was thinking like that opposed to  ‘Okay, just bring me in,’ and I think I committed professional suicide by letting it be known that I had a problem with coming off the bench. And that was my ego. That was my pride. My whole life, I never did that. That wasn’t my thing,” the retired guard admitted.

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He never got his farewell season

A.I. seemingly had his happy ending when the Sixers took him in after his exit from the Grizzlies. Coach Eddie Jordan gave Iverson his starting job back. However, he did not finish the season as he had to take care of his daughter, Messiah, who had Kawasaki disease. After that, he never had the chance to finish his NBA career the way he deserved.

After his stint in Turkey, Iverson expressed his desire to finish his career in the NBA and that he was willing to accept a bench role for any team. However, there were no takers, not even his old team.

But while the Sixers did not give him another chance to play, they gave him a fitting farewell, as he got to announce his retirement at their home court, and the franchise retired his jersey five months later.

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