Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that guard Allen Iverson will not return to the team for the remainder of the 2009-10 season.
Iverson had missed the team's last four games and also sat out five games before the All-Star break to be with his sick daughter.
"After discussing the situation with Allen, we have come to the conclusion that he will not return to the Sixers for the remainder of the season, as he no longer wishes to be a distraction to the organization and teammates that he loves very deeply,” Stefanski said. “It has been very difficult for Allen and the team to maintain any consistency as he tries to balance his career with his personal life."
Iverson signed a one-year contract with Philadelphia in December after a brief three-game stint with the Memphis Grizzlies. He left Memphis after expressing unhappiness with his role coming off the bench.
In 25 games for the Sixers this year, the 34-year-old Iverson was averaging 13.9 points, well below his career output of 26.7 ppg. Despite his mediocre numbers, he was voted to start for the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game by the fans.
Iverson spent the first 10-plus seasons of his NBA career with the Sixers, after the club selected him first overall in the 1996 NBA draft. He won the 1996-97 Rookie of the Year award and was the league MVP in 2000-01 when Philadelphia reached the NBA Finals.
The Sixers traded the former Georgetown All-American to Denver early in the 2006-07 season and the Nuggets dealt him to Detroit early in the 2008-09 campaign.
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