Iverson a no-go for ‘Battle of I-95'

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After hearing there was a possibility that Allen Iverson might be a participant in Sundays "Battle of I-95" at the Palestra, I had two thoughts: logically he could play for either team given his Newport News upbringing and Georgetown attendance for college (Team Melo candidate) or because of his accolades as a Philadelphia favorite son over his 10-plus seasons as a Sixer (Team Philly candidate).

The second thought is he really going to play? The answer to that thought is no. Gary Moore, Iversons longtime friend and manager, confirmed that the now 36-year-old Answer will not participate.

Iverson last played in an NBA game Feb. 20, 2010. He was playing for the Sixers in his second stint that lasted a total of 25 games and it had an unceremonious ending with Eddie Jordans team falling by 32 points to the Bulls. Iverson scored 13 points and had three assists in that one. No one knew that night would be his swan song in the National Basketball Association.

Yes, A.I. has desires of a comeback but it seems an unlikely scenario. Nonetheless, it would have been fun to see the little guy running the Palestra hardwood as he actually did regularly during the 1999 lockout when pick-up was a workout among friends trying to stay in shape -- no hype, no tickets, no fanfare.

E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com

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