ESPN is reporting Allen Iverson will officially announce his NBA retirement at the Philadelphia 76ers home opener on Oct. 30.
Iverson, 38, became a cultural icon, not to mention one of the most prolific scorers in league history, while starring for the team over a 10 year period beginning in 1997. An 11-time All-Star, he finished his career averaging 26.7 points, the sixth-highest career mark in NBA history.
Revered as "The Answer," he trails only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Elgin Baylor and Jerry West in career scoring average, adding career numbers of 6.2 assists and 2.2 steals.
Standing just six feet tall, Iverson is the smallest player in league history to average more than 20 points for his career. The Sixers drafted Iverson out of Georgetown with the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft and he instantly paid dividends, easily winning Rookie of the Year honors.
In 2001, he won the league's MVP award and led Philadelphia to the NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's Los Angeles Lakers.
Five years later, the team dealt Iverson to Denver. He also later played with Detroit and Memphis, before returning to the Sixers for a brief 25-game run during the 2009-10 season.
In recent years Iverson has been dogged by off the court troubles, including a messy divorce earlier this year and claims that he was significantly behind in child support payments for his five young children.
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