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Iverson makes return to Philadelphia

Mar 19, 2008 - 1:18 PM Denver (40-27) at Philadelphia (33-34) 7:00 pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) - Allen Iverson will be playing basketball in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. But this time, he'll be on the visiting team.

Iverson will return to face the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wachovia Center for the first time since getting traded to the Denver Nuggets in December 2006.

The 76ers, who made the former Georgetown guard the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft, were led by Iverson for 10-plus seasons.

Former Philadelphia general manager Billy King thought the marriage between the Iverson and the "City of Brotherly Love" would last forever.

"I thought he would end it here in Philadelphia," King said. "I was hoping his career would end here like Reggie Miller's ended in Indiana."

And rightfully so.

Iverson was one of the most outstanding players in franchise history, posting the highest scoring average in team history at 28.1 and leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001.

But more importantly, Iverson became a cultural icon in the city, melding flashy new-school street style with the grace of a four-time scoring champion and league Most Valuable Player.

The diminutive guard - despite his rough exterior and brushes with the law - was beloved by Philadelphia's blue-collar fans for leaving it all on the court every time he took the floor.

However, those fans will have to honor Iverson in their own way on Wednesday night. The Sixers do not plan to celebrate him in any form other than announcing his name in the starting lineup.

But according to Iverson, it is anything but an ordinary game.

"I don't know what to expect," Iverson said. "I just know it will be fun. It's going to be something I always remember and cherish for my whole life."

It also will be an important game for the Nuggets, whose three-game winning streak ended with Tuesday's 136-120 loss at Detroit.

The game came on the heels of Denver's 168-116 win over Seattle on Sunday. The Nuggets remain on the outside of the Western Conference playoffs, 1 1/2 games behind the Golden State Warriors (41-25) for the eighth and final spot.

Ironically, without Iverson, the Sixers have less victories than the Nuggets but are four games in front of the eighth-place Atlanta Hawks (29-38) in the Eastern Conference - a commentary on the poor competitive balance between conferences.

Denver posted a 109-96 win in the only previous meeting between the teams on January 6. But win or lose on Wednesday, Iverson plans to soak up the scene in his former hometown.

"I'll probably get a cheesesteak like I used to every day after practice, and I'll try to visit with some of the people I had relationships with - I was there for more than 10 years," he said.