I don’t normally copy word for word from other articles, but this one I want to keep in my own archives for future reference ….
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OFFICIAL STATEMENT
I would like to announce my plans to retire from the National Basketball Association. I always thought that when I left the game, it would be because I couldn’t help my team the way that I was accustomed to. However, that is not the case.
I still have tremendous love for the game, the desire to play, and a whole lot left in my tank. I feel strongly that I can still compete at the highest level.
Stepping away from the game will allow me to spend quality time with my wife and kids. This is a reward that far exceeds anything that I’ve ever achieved on the basketball court. I have prayed for this day and I see it as my greatest gift.
I want to thank the people of Reebok International Ltd., for always allowing me to be me and for supporting me my whole career through all the ups and downs. I have enjoyed 13 wonderful seasons in the NBA, and I am grateful.
I want to first acknowledge my fans everywhere, who have been with me throughout my entire career. Without you, there would be no me. You should all know that I appreciate your support from the bottom of my heart. Thank you!
To Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Charles Barkley and Larry Bird, you guys gave me the vision to play the game that will be forever in my heart.
To my Mom, who encouraged and inspired me to play every day, and to all of my family and friends who stood by me from the beginning. Thank you!
To my high school coach, Michael Bailey, Coach John Thompson at Georgetown University, Coach Larry Brown and to all of my other coaches, teammates, administrators, owners and staff who’ve been a part of my career, Thank you as well!
I’d like to give a special thanks to the people of Memphis. I never played a home game for your beloved Grizzlies, but I want you to know how much I appreciate the opportunity given me by a great owner in Michael Heisley, and the support of the city. I wish the Memphis Grizzlies’ organization all of the success that the game has to offer.
And finally, to the city of Philadelphia: I have wonderful memories of my days in a Sixers’ uniform. To Philly fans, thank you. Your voice will always be music to my ears.
God Bless all of you,
ALLEN IVERSON
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This whole thing just seems surreal to me. Everyone and their dog was saying to not touch AI at first and now that he’s gone, everyone is saying that he has a lot left to give. The media can be so contradictory, if not confusing and two faced.
I’ll stand by my original statement earlier that AI has a lot left to give but that he has to mature and be okay with being a second banana before he can contribute positively. If he is not willing to concede SOMETHING, then maybe it IS best that he simply walk away …
November 22, 2009 at 2:15 am · Filed under NBA News, video
We’re in a new Millenium and STILL dealing with dark ages commentary in our sports!
When Hamed Haddadi (The NBA’s first Iranian player ever) came into the game for Memphis a few nights ago vs. The Clippers, the Clippers broadcast team of Ralph Lawler and Michael Smith decided to “entertain” as this ESPN article ascertains ….
The transcript of the conversation between Lawler and Smith, which occurred late in the game, was printed on the Los Angeles Times’ Web site:
Smith: “Look who’s in.”
Lawler: “Hamed Haddadi. Where’s he from?”
Smith: “He’s the first Iranian to play in the NBA.” (Smith pronounced Iranian as “Eye-ranian,” a pronunciation that offended the viewer who complained.)
Lawler: “There aren’t any Iranian players in the NBA,” repeating Smith’s mispronunciation.
Smith: “He’s the only one.”
Lawler: “He’s from Iran?”
Smith: “I guess so.”
Lawler: “That Iran?”
Smith: “Yes.”
Lawler: “The real Iran?”
Smith: “Yes.”
Lawler: “Wow. Haddadi that’s H-A-D-D-A-D-I.”
Smith: “You’re sure it’s not Borat’s older brother?”
Smith: “If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I’m going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part.”
Lawler: “Here’s Haddadi. Nice little back-door pass. I guess those Iranians can pass the ball.”
Smith: “Especially the post players.
Lawler: “I don’t know about their guards.”
I can completely understand WHY those announcers were suspended. What they said is not just borderline racist, it’s also completely inappropriate. Why choose to associate a skill that can be learned with nationality?!?! That’s like saying that smart = asian or that anything that is Spanish is from Mexico.
And then to associate Haddadi (Iranian) with Borat (a fictional character from Kazakhstan) is just so incredibly IGNORANT! That’s like saying that people from China are Japanese or some other racist crap like that!
It may be “entertainment” to SOME people, but for others, the comments made were bigotry at their finest … or worst. And it shows just how incredibly ignorant some people are about the geography of the world
I don’t hold anything against Lawler and Smith – as long as they learn from their mistake and never again mock or continue to poke at another person’s nationality.
In this ESPN article, Donnie Walsh – Knicks GM – explains (with PC PR jargon) why they chose to pass on AI.
It’s hard to believe that it’s because of ANYTHING other his experiences in Detroit and Memphis and his willingness to adapt to a coach’s decision during the games.
It appears like Iverson is headed down the same road that Stephon Marbury chose to travel recently.
It would be a real shame to see one of this decade’s most prolific scorer’s become impotent and obsolete. But then again, he made his own bed.
Iverson may be an incredibly legitimate and intelligent person, but his ego is something that is hindering him at this point in his career.
In one of the more boring and shameless displays of Public Relations BS, Ron Artest has reached out to the fan (John Green) who tossed the drink at him in Detroit, sparking one of the nastiest sports brawls in history.
Now, the fan and Artest are joining forces for SOME sort of Charity BS work.
Listening to this guy talk about what has famously become called “the incident” it is clear that he is in it for nothing more than his own 15 minutes of fame.
As for Ron, it’s another BS attempt to clean up his image.
This kind of crap makes me wanna gag, puke and repeat ….
He’s missing games from this, which is a surprise as he fought through them in his rookie and soph seasons. I wonder if it has to do with his unhappiness with the franchise’s current performance …
The Matrix was experiencing a career revival to this point. This is really a shame …
And while Josh Howard has worked for over 9 months to recover from ankle surgery last winter, his setback was put to rest this week as he has been placed on the IR indefinitely with issues to the same surgically repaired ankle.
I wonder if a trade is in the works …
Of course, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan suffered from ankle sprains too, but they seem to be back in good order, so I won’t mention them.
Vince Carter sprained his ankle as well, but I don’t wanna waste my breath here. Ms. Carter can suck it.
Again with the surgery …. looking at it now, I’m guessing Stan Van might be wishing he hadn’t shipped Rafer Alston (he of the triple double a few nights ago) over to Jersey …
I guess coaching Andrew Bynum on a 1-1 basis will do that to a man ….
No, but seriously … how horrible is this? I know we all have to die someday, but this is a bad way to go … I hope he recovers …. I mean, he has the money and Magic was able to beat HIV with his deep pockets …
For the NBA aware, he is the Trailblazers owner. For the ones who know more, he is also the Microsoft Corp. co-founder and a certified billionaire. He is undergoing chemo.
Otherwise known as a herniated disc, this is a horribly painful condition to be dealing with – I know, I’ve been through it! I wish Tayshaun a speedy recovery and good pain management!
Now, he’s already undergone surgery, so the healing time is now underway. But damn. Last year and now this one too? I hate to think of how my fantasy team would have been if I had him …
I guess the man of steel really isn’t … see kids, this is what happens when you get older. Well, I just hope it isn’t a surgery requiring labrum injury … cuz then “A Ring for the King” seems unlikely …
This cat was making waves in fantasy for his production. He was also making waves in Philly as the cat who was replacing Elton Brand. Guess his season is done now.
Really, I quite dislike Luke Walton and though I feel sorry for his injury, I kind of hope and wish that he gets Swine Flu, too.
And, of course, Pau Gasol is not back yet from a strained hamstring … Well over 4 weeks into the season. And it’s a strain. Not a tear or something more serious … what a pansy.
Not to say that I am surprised as I have blogged that his time in Memphis was over back when he was released to deal with a “personal matter” but still … this is ridiculous! I mean …. the ego, the lack of communication, the … je ne sais quoi! But out of the ashes, the KNICKS are coming up as potential suitors !
I mean, they HAVE to know now that AI wants to start regardless of where he is. Does D’Antoni set the pace and cave up front and let the man start? Or does he take a stand like he did vs. Starbury and run his ass out of town the second he acts up?
Either way, the last few years of Iverson’s career have turned into a soap opera … and not the good kind of soap, either.
Again, no surprise there. Not about the trade so much as the location of said trade. The Warriors flipped Jackson the bird by trading him to the Bobcats, the NBA’s wastebasket for NBA talent. With no playoff hopes on the horizon, a tough as nails coach and a floundering roster of NBA has beens and up and comers, this looks to be a no-win scenario for Cap. And even more out of GState is that Monta Ellis is unhappy with Warriors and is ALSO asking for a trade!
Talk about getting kicked while you are down! And what does that say about the franchise when your two top players basically run for the hills!?!?
Well, people are noticing. Anthony Randolph’s playing time this last year and a half have been erratic at best. So much so that he has already spoken to Warriors brass about his role on the team and has begun to seek trades!
No one, and I mean NO ONE, wants to play for Don Nelson right now … I guess everyone feels he doesn’t care anymore ….. I’d wager that they’re right …
This is something that happened a few weeks ago but definitely deserves more burn in the media given the fact that it represents a collossal shift in coaching practices and gender roles! Here we are just about 9 or 10 years removed from the first female referee and we now have our first female D-League Head Coach!
I find it to be great for the sport that this has happened. Men have been coaching women’s teams for ages now and the expectation is that women coach ONLY women’s teams as well. Well, I find the racist double standard to be stone age in nature and I am glad that this lady has received a shot to succeed there. It may only be D-League now, but if she does well enough, she might get her shot at the Big League and open a new door to women everywhere.
So long as the game is coached by qualified people, it doesn’t matter what gender, religion, nationality or orientation they are.
Much like Manute Bol, Dikembe’s global outreach and support in Africa has been legendary.
Bol, who suffered a life changing car accident a few years ago (2004), has not achieved the recognition that Mutombo has despite the fact that he donated close to 80% of his life’s salary (close to $4 Million) to help his home country of Sudan and the refugees of the current civil war that has killed people by the hundreds of thousands and has tortured, enslaved and traumatized many generations there.
Mutombo, has built a hospitals in Kinshasa, Congo (donating close to $19 Million of his own money for the cause), supported and sponsored basketball teams, helped rebuild infrastructure in Africa.
As a reward for his own humanitarian work – and perhaps to right the wrong that was done to Manute Bol – the NBA has now promoted him to Global ambassador of the NBA!
I was never much a fan of him as a player. I found the finger wag to grate my nerves too often. But the way he has carried and represented himself and his people off the court have truly been inspiring and definitely makes me appreciate the man a lot more.
And here’s a bit of trivia for you hoop heads: His full name is Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo.
November 16, 2009 at 11:39 pm · Filed under Personal
I have been down over the last few days with my PC having gone to the doctor’s for a quick upgrade. Thanks, Paul!
But now she’s back and better than ever!
Why, she’s so good, you could say she’s like Astro Boy! Only a boxier, non-mobile version. With no emotions … or machine gun butt …… or rockets …. look, the point is that she’s way better than before! This computer is ready to kick some ass and take no prisoners!
As I take it for a joyride, I can’t help but be amazed at how much faster, quieter, more accessible it is … and now hopefully I will be able to surf the web and post to my blog with a bit more confidence and speed.
November 13, 2009 at 2:10 pm · Filed under Personal
Since I opened up my blog for comments nearly 5 weeks ago, I have received 46 Spam messages in my comments section.
This is unacceptable and, rather than remove the ability to comment on my blog, I am adding a captcha feature that will require users to authenticate potential comments with a random series of characters before entering the submit button.
It is an annoyance, but it is better than me having to surf through spam messages and delete them manually.
My apologies for the inconvenience this may cause, but the alternative is simply not an option at this point.
This is a Blockbuster roster change and a horrible move.
It is not Scott’s fault that his players were underperforming. I mean, even the faithful NOLA fans have to see that even that one season where everything clicked, they still couldn’t match San Antonio or Los Angeles.
Looking at Peja Stojakovic, Morris Peterson, Julian Wright, Tyson Chandler (and now Emeka Okafor) and it becomes clear that the roster was not made to win a championship. Those guys are the picture boys for mediocrity. I’m serious! They have ONE good game every 4 or 5 weeks and people praise these guys like heroes. Then the rest of the time, they slack and simply fade into the background until the fans arent kissing their asses anymore. Then they put together another brilliant performance just to keep people talking.
The big deal here is that with Scott going, it might make Chris Paul MORE unhappy as he was supposed to be a Scott supporter. And this is obviously a knee jerk reaction to stop the bleeding and to NOT give Chris Paul reason to jump ship and leave in free agency. Seems kind of silly (ironic?) that their “brilliant idea” might backfire on them.
On top of ALL that, this sends a terrible message that the coach is always to blame for the team’s cruddy play. Hey, NOLA, how about holding THE PLAYERS accountable for their role in the 3-6 start to your season?
Now guys like Hilton Armstrong are bailed out from admitting that their poor performance comes from poor offseason training and focus. Guys like Devin Brown and James Posey (wasn’t he supposed to be “the saviour”? The missing link?) now have a scapegoat for their lack of conditioning, poor basketball IQ and terrible attitudes.
Boo-urns to New Orleans.
I swear, as soon as Chris Paul jumps ship, I’m gonna hate these cats.
November 10, 2009 at 1:11 pm · Filed under Funny, fantasy
My friend’s Fantasy Team MILLER TIME has not done well so far this season. And it’s not basketball so much as the combination of that AND the NFL league we’re running where he’s 2-7 this year.
But things are looking up as he is ahead 10-0 on The Underachievers this week! And he wasted no time in rubbing it in via the trash talk feature.
Nevermind that Nate Dawg’s players haven’t hit the hardwood yet.
But hey, we take whatever we can get, right?
I hope he gets the win this week. I imagine he needs it. lol.
And if not, at least it’s now immortalized that Miller Time completely blanked an opponent this year.
Anyone else find if, even a smidge, odd that Iverson has left the Grizzlies INDEFINITELY to deal with a family issue?
When I saw this headline last night, my first thought was: Well, that puts an end to his playing days in Memphis …
It’s no secret that he was unhappy with his role on that team and that he bristles someone mentions the words “6th man” and “Iverson” in the same sentence. And even if Iverson’s family issue is REAL, then WHO has ever heard of an indefinite leave to deal with the issues?
No, this stems much deeper, I think. And I would be STUNNED to see AI come back and play in Memphis.
Word now is that he is contemplating retirement …. what a way to go out, huh?
The title of the blog post is an actual quote from an unnamed NBA GM. Think about that for one moment.
Despite the fact that he has all these individual accolades and went to an NBA Finals, people are now putting him in the same boat as Stephon Marbury.
Has his star really fallen so far? Did Memphis and Detroit really damage his image so deeply that he is now considered a cast-off?
“I can’t imagine anyone wanting him at this point. Struggling teams now know he’s going to be a distraction. Contending teams have to live with the fact that Iverson puts himself above the team. Even the Clippers backed away from him this summer and Donald Sterling will do anything to sell tickets. I’m still not sure what the Grizzlies were thinking.”
And with his career and legacy on the line, all Iverson can say of coming off the bench is:
“It’s something that I never did in my life, so obviously it’s a big adjustment”
Dude, is your ego SO big that you can’t bend, even a little, in order to see your “ultimate dream” (winning a ring) come true?
It’s just mind boggling.
And here we sit, watching one of the greatest players of the last 10 years simply fizzle away because he can’t accept a diminished role, because he refuses to admit that he is getting old.
Reminder of the upcoming Husky Basketball Tournament that is happening December 4th – 5th, 2009 at Sturgeon Heights.
I already know that over 75 people (mostly alumni) have joined Coach Tackie’s Facebook page that is responsible for getting the word out. SEVENTY FIVE people!
So you know that each year’s class will come to represent with Pride!
November 7, 2009 at 3:30 am · Filed under Men's League
I feel like this is a very important thing to put out there at this point in time.
We are currently sitting in 3rd place in the Elite Division of our Men’s League after 3 games. I’m not sure what will happen from here to the end of the year, but I don’t know that we’ll ever be this close to the #1 spot in Div 1 for the rest of the year. It’s not that we’re BAD. It’s that this division is GOOD! Damn good.
But for the here and now, I just wanted to give my guys some props and show off the fact that my team – an ordinary team full of guys who have very little CIS, CIAU or NCAA experience are sitting in a prime position in a division we don’t necessarily belong in.
Way to go Blue!
You are doing a great job of representing Shaka Dula!
But even more than that, you are doing a great job of representing Sturgeon/Silver Heights Basketball!
November 6, 2009 at 3:30 am · Filed under Personal
James A. Naismith, the father of basketball was born in Almote, Ontario on November 6, 1861.That makes TODAY his birthday!
Mr. Naismith invented the sport of basketball in December 1891 at a local YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is also credited for having introduced the first helmet to American Football!
Though the NBA has bastardized some of the rules to suit their own financial purposes, the rules of the game were quite simple – 13 in total.
I’d rather just note that today is the birth date of Basketball’s daddy and that we ALL owe James Naismith a hearty, genuine THANK YOU for having introduced us to a sport that has, quite literally, changed our lives.
This is only for the Lakers Championship Rings, but still! Talk about extravagant and over the top!
Laker gold: Most rings are 14-karat gold but Jason created a special batch of 15-karat Laker gold to commemorate their 15th NBA championship.
Bling that’ll blind: The ring is comprised of 15 diamonds weighing in at 2.85 carats.
Home court advantage: The Lakers’ rings mirror the shape of the exterior of the Staples Center. When viewed from the side, you can see the “roof” and “sides” of the Lakers’ home court.
Personalization: In the past every player has had their name and number on the side of their ring – the Lakers laser engraved the image of each player’s face.
Lock-down defense: Each ring boasts a hand-selected, diamond-engraved “L”. The “L” is placed in a different position on each player’s ring and is only viewable with a high-powered microscope. This helps authenticate each players piece. For further security and authentification, every ring has a serial number which is stored in a database that only the Lakers themselves and the jeweler can access.
Hollywood packaging: Each ring was presented in an oversized box roughly the size of a watch box. When opened, each box has two built-in LED spotlights that shine on the ring that is mounted on a rotating mechanical platform.
I wouldn’t mind looking at it once or twice …. lol.
November 3, 2009 at 9:56 pm · Filed under NBA, Personal
Henry Abbott over at TrueHoop.com roasted Kevin Durant early in the pre-season, even if it was unintentional. Then, a few days later, Kevin Durant Twittered his opposition to the article and got defensive.
Everybody that is doubtin me as a player and my team as a whole..all i can say is that we all are tryin and workin our hardest!
What more do u want? let me be the player i am…i come to practice everyday..and push myself to my limit, God has put me n a gr8 position!!
and then he followed that up with
I love all the REAL basketball fans who appreciate hardwork, passion and love for the game..and not jus “plus and minuses”…wateva dat is!
And then a heart-felt open letter was typed out TO Kevin Durant, basically talking about how he wasn’t lying – and that stats don’t lie.
Fast forward to tonight.
After going 3 of 21 from the field against Portland on November 1st (16 points, 5 rebounds, 0 assists, 1 turnover), he follows that up with TONIGHT’S performance versus the Lakers.
10 of 24 from the field, 0 for 8 from 3 point range for 28 points with 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 turnovers!
I watched the last quarter and the entire overtime and was appalled by a few points:
1. How BAD the Thunder are
They shot airball after airball after airball and simply could not capitalize on a Lakers team that was anemic on both ends of the floor. A lot of this can be blamed on youth and a lack of chemistry, but wow. It was like watching a men’s league game!
2. How POOR Kevin Durant’s decision making is
He hoisted up a three pointer from about 4 feet out from the line with 10 seconds to go in regulation instead of taking it to the rim on Ron Artest! And then in overtime he missed all his shots, passed the ball to no one on plays designed for him to score and jacked a contested shot with Kobe and Bynum on him in the final 7 seconds of overtime! ANd then he whined and pouted when the plays were done!
3. Maybe Henry Abbott wasn’t off the mark on his assessments and posts!
He nails the stats, and then KD goes out and proves him right!
He passes when he’s supposed to shoot, shoots when he’s supposed to pass, helps his team LOSE games and then wonders why sports writers and basketball purists like myself think he’s teh suxxor of team basketball!
If he just listened to his coaches instead of all the fans out there kissing his ass telling him he’s the best thing in basketball, maybe he’d improve! If he just stopped worrying about how it makes him FEEL and looked at it objectively, then maybe he’d see that everyone sees ultimate talent being misused. And that includes all the fans that stand up and say crap like “who are you to say anything about him!”
I mean, everyone needs to stop the righteous indignation and call a duck a duck. The kid may have the height, talent and speed to be a pro, but his brain is somewhere else right now. He’s not interested in doing anything more than what HE thinks is best for the team. Don’t believe it? Look at his Twitter replies above – or any of his Twitter posts this year, for that matter.
Such talent …. such potential …. and it’s all just wasted (for the time being).
And I don’t give a crap WHAT he replies and tells me. Stats (and win totals) don’t lie.
——
Some additional notes about this Lakers game:
Kobe shot 9 for 22 from the field and 1 of 3 from three and ended up with 31 points with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 turnovers to go along with 3 steals. He almost deserves his own blog post about HIS performances this year, but I’ve already noted how I feel about Kobe before …
Lamar Odom bricked his first foul shot – a game clinching foul shot that would have put the game out of reach – and then he AIRBALLED his second foul shot, giving the Thunder one last hope. Has being married to Khloe Kardashian harmed his game THAT much?!?!?
November 3, 2009 at 1:23 pm · Filed under Funny, NBA, raptors
The anniversary of the first NBA game in history was Nov. 1. While the New York Knicks defeated the Toronto Huskies 68-66 on Nov. 1, 1946 in Toronto, there was a great promo for the game: Any fan taller than Toronto’s 6-8 center George Nostrand got in free.
Currently, there are 433 players in the NBA and 225 are 6-8 or taller (58.9 percent). The tallest player is Houston’s Yao Ming at 7-6. There are two players listed at 7-3: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cavs) and Hasheem Thabeet (Grizzlies).The average NBA player is currently 6-7 (actually 6-feet, 7.3 inches). The shortest player in the NBA is Nate Robinson (Knicks) at 5-9.
I don’t know that the Raptors lost any money on this promo, but it was certainly a great idea to draw people to the stands and promote the Raptors in the hockey raving town of Toronto.
In case you have not yet noticed, I have added a few new features to the blog for all you NBA diehards like myself!
At the bottom of the sidebar on the right >>> I have added a widget that will update the current NBA standings in the East and West according to divisions. Also, I have added a widget that will display NBA News with a Raptors centric focus.
So now you have even MORE NBA news and info at your fingertips!
If you like it, let me know and I might add more of these to the site!
