Foshan in talks with Iverson
CHINESE Basketball Association (CBA) side Foshan Liyuan told Chinese media yesterday that they were in talks with former NBA Most Valuable Player Allen Iverson, who is also known as “The Answer.”
| This Jan. 20 file photo shows 76ers’ Allen Iverson during an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Philadelphia. SD-Agencies |
The club, formerly the CBA club Shaanxi Dongsheng, changed its owner and moved from Xi’an, Northeast China’s Shaanxi Province, to Foshan, Guangdong Province, this summer.
According to web portal Sina.com, an official from the Foshan club said the two sides were still in talks and had not reached a deal.
Iverson has dropped from the ranks of NBA superstars in recent years. The NBA four-time scoring champion was let go by the Philadelphia 76ers in March for missing training.
That apparently brought a sad end to his remarkable 14-year NBA career. Despite his travails, he was still voted an Eastern Conference All-Star starter last season.
Although his homeland appears to have closed its doors, Iverson, who has a huge fan base overseas, would be a major drawing card in China, like another former NBA All-Star guard, Stephon Marbury.
Also discarded by the NBA, Marbury played for Shanxi Zhongyu in the CBA last season and negotiated with the club for another 3-year contract to continue his China sojourn this summer.
As the No. 1 pick in the 1996 NBA draft, Iverson will undoubtedly make any team more competitive and a potential championship favorite in the CBA.
Off the court, Iverson could reap serious rewards through the marketing of his jerseys and sneakers.
Suffering from an arthritic left knee last season, Iverson played just 25 games for the 76ers but still averaged 13.9 points and 4.1 assists per game.
Iverson’s personal manager, Gary Moore, said Iverson is healthy and working out in Atlanta.
“I don’t think he’s done,” the manager said.
(SD-Agencies)
Source： Shenzhen Daily Editor： 洪志科