Iverson rips Athens No-Shows

[Trauma-san]

Iverson rips Athens no-shows
Guard says NBA stars should considerchance to represent U.S. an honor

By Barry Svrluga
The Washington Post
Updated: 6:27 p.m. ET Aug. 28, 2004


ATHENS - Guard Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers launched some not-so-subtle criticisms of other NBA players who chose not to compete in the Olympics.

Speaking after the U.S. men's basketball team's 89-81 semifinal loss to Argentina on Friday, Iverson said he felt honored to be chosen to participate and couldn't understand why others didn't feel the same way.

"Any person that's selected to a team like this, it shouldn't be a question in your mind," Iverson said. "It shouldn't even be something to think about. You're honored to get a chance to represent your country, and what's better than that?"

Iverson was one of just three holdovers on the U.S. team who participated in a qualifying tournament last summer just for the right to reach the Olympics. Immensely disappointed when he wasn't selected for the 2000 Olympics, he has since watched 14 players turn down the offer to play here, some because of injury, others for personal reasons, and some for fears about security in Greece.

Iverson, who didn't name names, said NBA players should be more grateful to the game that makes nearly all of them millionaires.

"Anybody that grew up in the U.S. and is able to be a basketball player in the NBA, you understand what that country has done for you and your family," Iverson said. "It gave you an opportunity to support your family and be recognized as a household name. I mean, it's just an honor to be able to do something like that, and I would advise anybody that's selected to a team like this to take that honor and cherish it."

Before the game, NBA Commissioner David Stern pleaded with reporters to stop talking about the players who didn't come to the Olympics, even though the list included such stars as Shaquille O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, and Mike Bibby.

"This is not about saying some players should have been here or not," Stern said.

Stern went on to say that this team was "great," and that any of the 30 NBA teams would trade its roster for this one.

"We have a great, great team here," Stern said. "I shouldn't say that. We have 12 great basketball players."

By Iverson's evaluation, the United States should have had greater basketball players, if only some of those great players had taken advantage of the opportunity.

"You need to understand that first and foremost, it's an honor to be selected to this team," he said. "It's something you should cherish for the rest of your life. And honestly, it's something that I will cherish, even without winning the gold medal. I feel good about being part of something like this. I feel like a special basketball player to be selected to a team like this."

 © 2004 The Washington Post Company
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5851082/

[pappy]

iverson on point

[7even]

iverson on point

Yes. Unless you have some true issues.. like Bryant, Malone and few others, it's aight of course. But as soon as your reason not to join the national team is "rest" or "security issues" you're not much less of a dick. But it's not only in the US. Peja and Divac didnt join their team, which is the reason why the current World Champions finished 11th out of 12 in the tourney. They are even bigger dicks. Because they obviously are more important to their team than any US player is for its team. So is Ilgauskas (Lithuania). If Nowitzki refused to play for Germany because of "rest" or something I'd feel like whooping his ass. But he'd never do that.

[eS El Duque]

iverson on point

Damn right.

[white Boy]

ai just mad... dude is overated as fuck
... but he is speaking the truth

[Sikotic™]

That's the truth. The other fools probably don't wanna participate because they're huge salaries aren't involved.

[pappy]

ai just mad... dude is overated as fuck
... but he is speaking the truth

how is he overatted.   He carried the sixers to the finals a few years ago.  Almost any other PG in the league the sixers would of struggled to be a 6th seed let alone take you to the finals.

[The Big Bad Ass]

Right on AI.

[Nutty]

Agree.

[MANBEARPIG.]

iverson on point

[Don Jacob]

i think if the USA team had Kobe they'd take gold, i mean they needed a player who can score at will AND defend. Most of the team was a bunch of Highlight Shows and inexperienced rooks If not that they chose proven losers.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

i think if the USA team had Kobe they'd take gold, i mean they needed a player who can score at will AND defend. Most of the team was a bunch of Highlight Shows and inexperienced rooks If not that they chose proven losers.

True.

[eS El Duque]

i think if the USA team had Kobe they'd take gold, i mean they needed a player who can score at will AND defend. Most of the team was a bunch of Highlight Shows and inexperienced rooks If not that they chose proven losers.

But most of the players on the team were top scorers on theirs. Carmelo and Lebron who had the less playing times (ahead of Okafur) are the scoring leaders on their team every night. Their were players on there that should've performed better.

[Smoke]

iverson on point

But he arrived late in a pratice session.

[pappy]

iverson on point

But he arrived late in a pratice session.

did he atleast make the effort to show up an represent his country in the olympics.  Yes he did,  thats more than a lot of other players can say.  Out of all the players that were orginally on the team at one time or another the only 2 who had legit reasons for not showing were kobe n malone.