Contrary to the image drafted over a 14-year career, Allen Iverson dropped down to tears just 2 minutes into his opening statement at a conference held by the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. The very thought of playing in front of Philadelphia fans made the 34-year-old former MVP (Most Valuable Player) and an All-Star regular break down to tears.
Iverson had earlier announced his retirement from professional basketball on 25th November, 2009 after constantly being on bench for the last few years of his career. After being waived off by the Memphis Grizzlies no other team showed interest in signing him which eventually led him to quit basketball for good. However, the Sixers proposed him a contractual lifeline which he readily took up on 1st December, 2009. He announced at the conference to the media, “When I had the opportunity to come back here, I couldn’t turn it down. I’m just happy.” 
Iverson has earlier played with the 76ers> in December 2006 after which he was taken up by the Nuggets. Iverson is set to return to NBA with the Sixers on Monday, 7th December, 2009 against Denver with all his fans eagerly awaiting his remarkable come-back. The entire basketball community is shaken up in excitement about his return and stormed up his website page with 327,657 visits in a single day. The ace veteran is coming back home to regain his dignity with no other roads to go.
“This is where my love is at. I want to be here. I always felt it was strange having another uniform on. I never felt comfortable with another uniform on.” said Iverson on Thursday and added “That bad rap followed me, and it ended up hurting me.”, while referring to his past mistakes.
The Philly is currently going through a rough patch standing third from last at the Eastern Conference rankings. The team is also looking at empty stadiums along with poor performances from the players. The Iverson deal is expected to at least fill in the empty seats. Hopefully, it will bring a fresh wave of optimism amongst the team. President and General manager for the 76ers, Ed Stefanski said, “If it means that we start playing better basketball and bring fans in, that’s great, but in order to sustain any kind of attendance in the building, you’ve got to win basketball games.” “Allen’s people, in the past, tried to bring him back to Philadelphia, but we were very satisfied and happy with Lou Williams,” he added.
However, Stefanski has made it clear that the deal does not give any assurance about Iverson, “there was no guarantee from the organization or from Eddie Jordan (the coach) at all. We’re not bringing Allen Iverson in as a guy to add to our depth or as a practice player. We’re bringing him in to play basketball.” Jordan confirmed the news and agreed to that nothing was etched in stone.
While Philly is hoping to earn high rewards from low investments and fewer risks, Iverson hangs on to his only helpline. Only time can tell who benefits the most.