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Allen Iverson wants to play in NBA again 10.28.11 at 1:49 pm ET
By Justin Doubleday

Allen Iverson wants to make a return to the NBA. (AP)

Apparently, this is the week for former superstars to make a last-ditch attempt at making a return to their sports.

Just a few days after free agent wide receiver Terrell Owens held an open workout that no NFL teams attended, Allen Iverson is saying that he wants back in the NBA, no matter what team takes him.

“I’ll play for anybody,” Iverson told Yahoo! Sports.

The 36-year-old guard played in Turkey last season. A 10-time All-Star and former MVP, Iverson’s last few seasons in the NBA were tumultuous, as he was unhappy with his role on the bench with both the Pistons and the Grizzlies. After being waived by Memphis two seasons ago, Iverson announced his retirement, but he then signed with the Sixers not long afterward.

But citing his daughter’s health problems and the divorce proceeds with his wife, Iverson left Philadelphia midseason and was eventually waived. Iverson said that those family problems distracted him when playing basketball.

“That wasn’t me at all,” Iverson said. “Obviously, I was dealing with the situation with my daughter and going through a divorce, and I wasn’t there mentally. In my career those last couple of years were so hard for me because I wasn’t there. Mentally, I wasn’t there.

“During those 48 minutes on the basketball court, all I [ever] cared about was that time right there. Nothing else distracted me. But at times, I felt myself standing on the court just thinking about my daughter, thinking about the situation with me and my wife. I wasn’t giving [the teams] everything I had mentally.”

When no NBA team showed interest in him before the beginning of last season, Iverson signed a two-year $4 million contract with the Turkish club Besiktas. Iverson returned to the United States shortly after the start of the season with a right calf injury, though, and never returned.

Iverson is hoping that NBA teams will take notice of him this time around when he hosts the Las Vegas Superstar Challenge on Nov. 12-13. He will be one of four captains putting together a team in the tournament. According to Iverson, his team includes Paul Pierce, Kevin Durant, Amar’e Stoudemire and Andre Iguodala, just to name a few.

“I wanted organizations to see me play and see what I can do on a high level against high-level people,” Iverson said.

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