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Jul 7 '16 | By miao1234 | 142

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PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson cupped his hand to his left ear and asked to hear his favourite tune one more time. Nike Air Max Command Dames-zwart/roze/wit schoenen . With that command, 20,000 roaring Philadelphia 76ers fans gave AI the standing ovation he earned by stamping himself as one of the franchises all-time greats. Iverson, emotional as he thanked former teammates and friends, had his No. 3 retired at halftime of Saturdays game against Washington. High above the Wells Fargo Center court, Iversons banner slipped between Maurice Cheeks No. 10 and Charles Barkleys No. 34. "They all wanted me to talk about how much yall loved me," Iverson said, "but trust me, the feeling was mutual." Iverson officially retired in October after last playing in 2010. He won four scoring titles for the Sixers and was the 2001 MVP when he led them to the NBA Finals. He never won a championship, the lone omission in a career that is destined for the Hall of Fame. The Sixers may as well have turned the arena into an AI museum. Four banners greeted fans at the main concourse entrance, and photos of him were plastered all around the arena. The merchandise stands sold Iverson jerseys for $130, and lower level tickets were going for as much for $1,280 on Stubhub about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. tipoff. The fans loved him, and he blew them kisses after the No. 3 was raised to show how much he loved them back. "I am Philly," Iverson said. "Its always going to be that way." Iversons return injected a rare dose of excitement into a franchise playing some of the worst basketball in the league. The Sixers, in full-blown rebuilding mode, had lost 12 straight entering Saturdays game. The losing didnt matter much Saturday, just the memories. The Sixers wore special "Iverson Forever" patches on their jerseys and Iversons 3 on their pregame warmup shirts. "Its a great example of how this city responds to somebody that they clearly think the world of and brought such exciting times to the city of Philadelphia," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. The Sixers retirement gift was a boat named in honour of his nickname, "The Answer." "It feels good," Iverson said after the ceremony, "but some part of my heart hurts because I know its over." Iverson joined Cheeks, Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain and Julius Erving among the eight retired numbers in franchise history. Erving attended the ceremony. Moses Malone, Dikembe Mutombo, Theo Ratliff, Gary Payton and former team president Pat Croce also were at the celebration. Former coach Larry Brown, who both clashed with and loved Iverson over their tenure, sent a videotaped message. "I just want to tell you, and I say this fondly: God put me there to coach you," Brown said. Iverson said Brown was the player who moulded him into one of the NBAs best. "I always had raw talent," he said. "I needed Larry Brown to polish it up." Iverson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft and spent his first 10 seasons in Philadelphia. He also played for Denver, Detroit, and Memphis before returning to Philadelphia for a 25-game stint in 2009-10. Iverson, who mashed hip-hop culture and hoops like no player before him, was perhaps at his peak in his fifth NBA season. The 165-pound guard averaged 31.1 points, was the MVP of the All-Star game and propped an entire franchise on his 6-foot frame all the way to the finals. Led by Brown, the Sixers needed Game 7 wins in consecutive series for the right to play the Lakers. Shaquille ONeal, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers swept their way through the post-season before Game 1 in Los Angeles. Iverson had 48 points in 52 minutes of an overtime victory. The Sixers didnt have enough to go the distance and the Lakers won the next four games. Hes 21st on the NBAs career scoring list with 24,368 points over 914 career games. Iverson, drafted out of Georgetown, scored 30-plus points 345 times and was an 11-time All-Star. His No. 3 jersey was a bestseller around the globe, the headband wrapped snugly around his cornrows, and the tattoos were as much a part of his image as the way he ricochets around the court. Play every game like it was his last was more than a catchphrase, it was a lifestyle. "Who could not be an Allen Iverson fan?" said Thaddeus Young, the lone current Sixers player who played with Iverson. "It got no bigger than him in Philadelphia." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was at the game for AIs night. "Allen was a special player," Silver said before the game. "The great things he did for the league far outweigh the occasional headache. I always thought even at the time of Allen Iversons prominence in the league, he was representative of his generation." kind Grijs/wit/zwart Air Max Nike 90 schoenen Grijs/wit/zwart . And as he walked into Progressive Field, a ballpark known as The Jake when he played in Cleveland the first time, Thome was flooded with memories of former teammates, games and Octobers past. Nike Air Max 2015 Dames . Van Persie, last seasons top scorer in the English Premier League, has missed recent matches against Manchester City and Liverpool but has returned to training.MELBOURNE, Australia -- On current form and on a very familiar golf course, the two top-ranked players at the World Cup -- Adam Scott and Matt Kuchar -- are heavy favourites for individual honours when play begins Thursday at Royal Melbourne. No. 2-ranked Scott has won two tournaments in a row -- the Australian PGA and the Australian Masters, which was held last week at Royal Melbourne. Seventh-ranked Kuchar led by two strokes late in the final round of the Masters before a double-bogey on 18 enabled Scott to successfully defend his title. Kuchar finished second. "He has been in such good form," Kuchar said of Scott on Wednesday. "To at least give him a run it was awfully good. I stood five back going into Sunday. Unfortunately I got a bad break on 18 and thats part of golf." The Australians, with Scotts teammate Jason Day at No. 18, are the highest-ranked team this week and will have the benefit of local crowds. "Its an interesting week," Scott said Wednesday. "Were playing together as a team but we still want to beat each other." Added Day: "I dont know whether to love him or not if he beats me." Kuchar and his teammate, Kevin Streelman, will attempt to successfully defend for the Americans the title that Kuchar and Gary Woodland won in 2011. The differences between the tournament, format-wise, that Kuchar and Woodland won in 2011 is about as far as the distance between Royal Melbourne and Haiku, China, where the Americans won. Then, it was a team event in keeping with the near 60-year history of the tournament. Two days of four-ball competition, two days of foursomes. This time, to prepare for golfs return to the Olympics and the format that will be used in Rio, its basically an individual stroke-play event. The financial emphasis is on the individual portion of the tournament -- $7 million in prize money to be divided among the 60-man field, including $1.2 to the winner. And just $1 million alllocated for the teams event, with money only going to the top three teams. Adidas Sneakers Dames. Kuchar said the change doesnt bother him. "I know the format is different but the golf is the same," Kuchar said. "Its much more of an individual event ... but there is a team component and I think we have got as good a shot as anybody." Earlier, U.S. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem defended the move away from the team-only concept at a media conference Wednesday at Royal Melbourne. "I think it is way too soon to conclude that the team portion of the Cup is lost," Finchem said. "We havent played yet so lets see how that plays out and then we will see. We feel like the tournament is more marketable. We think that it has a better chance of fulfilling its mission which is to create more interest in the game in unique ways." "But we will see. If we go down this road and it doesnt work, we will adjust, but we are going to give this every chance to work." The system being used to determine the entries at the Word Cup -- rankings and number of players eligible from each country based on those rankings, will be used at Rio in 2016. The other differences are that there will be no team competition at the Olympics, and there, golfers from England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who are playing as separate countries at the World Cup, will play as Britain. Also, at the World Cup, Ireland and Northern Ireland play as one team. So this week, Northern Irelands Graeme McDowell and Irelands Shane Lowry will play together. McDowell says Scott is unquestionably the favourite this week. "From Scottys point of view, he is just one of those guys you play with and you think to yourself Why does this guy not win every week?" McDowell said Wednesday. "Hes that impressive." There are 26 teams taking part and eight individual golfers, including Fijis Vijay Singh, who finished third at the Australian Masters. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '

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