Ever since Allen Iverson traveled to China for a celebrity tour in October and then immediately crossed over a defender just like the old times, details have been scarce about AI. Here’s what we can gather from watching this video uploaded today from China, then: After being presented with a poster of his face with the inscription “Ra Boogie,” AI dropped 37 points, showed off a silky jumper and tossed his fair share of alley-oops in a recent game between players — including Rafer Alston — who have seen better days.
Freeze the video at :43 seconds and you get a glimpse of the rosters in this game: There’s Baby Shaq, The Professor, Mr. 720 and someone called Mr. Africa on Iverson’s side going against Rafer Alston and Bone Collector. Three-quarters of these rosters could have been transplanted from 2005 to China and it would have looked the exact same. Except for Iverson, of course, who’s still trying to get on a roster but was reported two months ago to be in horrendous physical shape before his first arrival in China. Other than his jumper, which looks fine, there’s little evidence to suggest 1) he’s in any better shape and 2) that this game even required him to be in shape.
Judging by Iverson’s tweets, this game appears to have been in Naiging by his tweet from Dec. 2 saying, “Enjoyed my time in Naiging, next stop Fuzhou!!!” Does this mean another highlight tape could emerge from a game in Fuzhou? If it does, I’ll still watch. Even in China against a group of guys hanging onto their hoops careers, Iverson is still worth watching. His name still holds interest in basketball, but could his game hold up in a competitive league?
What do you think of Iverson’s chances to get on a roster?
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