Iverson celebrates return to Philly by skipping practice

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Amid all the hoopla and standing ovations for Allen Iverson’s return to Philadelphia Wednesday, the Answer held his own private, off-court celebration as well. Iverson apparently skipped Wednesday morning’s shoot-around with his current team, the Denver Nuggets, as a sort of homage to his days with the Sixers.

“It just seemed like an appropriate way to mark the occasion,” Iverson told SSNN. “I mean, we’re talking ’bout practice, man. Practice. Sound familiar?”

Iverson’s time in Philadelphia was marked an MVP award, an appearance in the NBA finals, and countless missed practices. Iverson’s apparent lack of commitment led to numerous clashes with former Sixers coach Larry Brown.

Nuggets head coach George Karl, on the other hand, was apparently okay with Iverson choosing to celebrate his return to Philly with a return to old habits.

“Well, Allen ran it by me this morning. He called me from his hotel room about 30 minutes after practice started, just to explain his thought process,” Karl explained. “I said it was absolutely cool. It just seemed appropriate to me, and everyone else on the team. Besides, Larry Brown’s a dick, even if he is a Carolina guy.”

Stephen A. Smith, ESPN’s NBA expert who has also been a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer for a number of years, also supported Iverson’s decision to skip practice.

“Allen has always known what he needs to do to get ready for a game,” Smith said. “So if he doesn’t want to practice, we should all abide by that. I wish I had a team made up of 12 Allen Iverson’s. I love that man!”

Iverson’s Denver teammates were equally comfortable with his decision. “To tell you the truth, I kind of expected it,” Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. “I wouldn’t expect anything else from him. I learned all about slacking off from AI, and look how good I am at it.”

But Iverson was quick to point out that he never slacked off in a game. “No. Never. I mean, we’re talkin’ ’bout practice. Not a game. Not a game. We’re talkin’ ’bout practice.”

It’s going to be tough for this sport to sweep any nations, but it’s still pretty frickin’ cool!