Allen Iverson made his return to the Philadelphia 76ers early in the 2009-10 season after a 3-game stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. The legendary guard was traded from the Sixers to the Denver Nuggets early in the 2006-07 season, was then sent to the Detroit Pistons early in the 2008-09 season, the cup of coffee with the Grizzlies, and then returned to the Sixers.
Clearly on his last legs, Iverson played 25 games, starting 24 of them, for Philadelphia and averaged 13.9 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds. He then realized it was the end of the road for himself and he retired during the season in 2010.
Sitting down with Amazon Prime, Iverson revealed when he knew it was time to retire:
I just wanted to be wanted. Want somebody that really wants
you for you and what you could bring. Once that started to fade, it was like 'OK, it's time to go.'..I think, ultimately, the icing on the cake was when my daughter got sick...when I'm on the dance floor, all I think about is what's going on out there. I remember somebody was shooting a free throw and I was thinking about her, and that's when I knew it was over.
To Iverson's point, the end of his career was tough for him. As he mentioned, his daughter was sick, and as a father, he knew he needed to put her first and take care of his family. When one also remembers how it ended for him on the court, he was asked to come off the bench toward the end in Detroit--which he didn't like--and he came off the bench for Memphis. He made the decision for himself to hang it up after 14 phenomenal seasons in the league.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers legend Allen Iverson reveals when he knew it was time to retire
