With hopes of getting one last shot in the NBA, former All-Star and league MVP Allen Iverson is contemplating playing minor league basketball, according to a person close to the situation.
Iverson is willing to play in the Caribbean, in South America or even in the D-League if it gives him a chance to return to the NBA, the source said.
"Allen only wants to play if there's a possibility that it leads to the NBA," the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "That's the only way he would go to one of these lower leagues. He wants to get back to the NBA and leave the game on his terms."
Iverson's interest in returning comes as he faces some financial trouble. On Monday, a judge in Georgia garnished funds from Iverson's bank account to repay about $860,000 that he owes a jeweler, according to multiple media reports.
Iverson's representatives have reached out to several NBA teams, but none has shown interest in signing the 36-year-old. The Los Angeles Lakers' D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles Defenders, has contacted Iverson's reps several times, but nothing materialized, according to the source.
A top official from the Puerto Rican Basketball League has reached out to Iverson's group, but no team has offered Iverson a contract. Iverson also has been in contact with Guaros de Lara, a Venezuelan team, but there have been no contract offers, according to the source.
"Nothing is imminent," the source said. "The only thing that's imminent is Allen's desire to show people that he's still got a lot to offer on the basketball court, even if it's just helping young guys learn from the mistakes he made."
If Iverson doesn't sign with a club before the Feb. 26 NBA All-Star Game, he likely will give up his quest and accept retirement, the source said.
In the course of his 14-year career, the 6-foot shooting guard averaged 26.7 points, the sixth-highest NBA all-time scoring average. Iverson last played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2009-10 season, averaging 13.8 points and 4.0 assists. In 2011 he played only 10 games in an injury-filled stint in Turkey.
Chris Broussard is a senior NBA writer for ESPN The Magazine.