“The Answer” that NBA fans saw on the hardwood floor is gone.
Eleven-time NBA All-Star Allen Iverson, who is on his second trip to the Philippines for the PCWorx All In charity basketball game, spared no words in expressing his exhaustion following his lengthy 14-year career.
“The passion you saw from me all throughout my career is gone. At this stage of my life, I’m done. I don’t wanna do it no more,” said Iverson, who was the league’s shortest most valuable player in 2001, in an emotional statement during Tuesday’s pre-game press conference at the NBA Cafe.
Just a year removed from officially announcing his retirement from competitive basketball, Iverson shifted his focus from the game that made him a household name to recouping lost time with his family.
“I love just being a full-time dad, living with my kids. I lost a lot of opportunities, time with them (because of) playing in the league, travelling all the time. I’m just done with it,” he added.
IN PHOTOS: Allen Iverson spreads the love in Manila
Throughout his playing career, the 39-year old played for five different NBA teams, most notably for the 11 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers who selected him first overall in 1996 and subsequently retired his number 3 earlier this year.
On Wednesday night, he will return to the hardwood floor not as a player, but as the head coach of Team Gawad Kalinga to support the organization’s Bulaklakan chapter in Quezon City.
He will be coaching the team led by ex-NBA players Eddy Curry and Dermarr Johnson, together with BallUp streetballers Gary Smith, Taurian “Air Up There” Fontenette, Aaron “AO” Owens, Anthony “Mr. Afrika” Pimble, Larry “Bone Collector” Williams, and Grayson “The Professor” Boucher.
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