One Final Game: Allen Iverson
Date: January 29, 2010
Allen Iverson did not see himself as a bench player. He was an offensive superstar, one who led the league in scoring four different times, and even late in his career he thought he deserved to start no matter what. In his final season when the Memphis Grizzlies began the season bringing him off the bench he effectively rebelled and was ultimately waived. He then signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and started all but one game down the stretch.
That final year was marred by injuries, and ultimately Iverson was driven to an early retirement from the NBA, instead heading overseas to continue playing in a context where he was “the man” and not simply one among equals.
During that final season Iverson had a number of poor games, when his shot wasn’t falling and he no longer had the leeway to shoot himself out of a slump. On the flip side, though, he also had a number of standout games, where the shot was going in and he got into a rhythm once again.
One such game was in January of 2010 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson shot 55.6 percent from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from deep en route to 23 points, a season-high. He filled the box score out in other ways: two rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. It was not vintage AI, but it was still meaningful, the last 20-point game for an all-time scorer.