In all likelihood, Allen Iverson is done playing NBA basketball. He has been waived by one of the worst teams in the league and a lot of people are potshoting him now.

In the beginning, I was one of those potshotters. I even appeared in the comments section of The Sporting News commenting on his "irrelevance." My mother still has my copy on our refrigerator.

Lately, I have developed a sneaky admiration for Iverson. Think about it: how many young boys who were small watched Iverson dominate in the late 90's and early 00's and thought maybe I can play basketball, too.

Also, Iverson was too easy to hate. He seemed to resemble the basketball anti-Christ with his shooting, attitudes about practice and defense, and the tattooed body and cornrows. 

Honestly, Iverson embodied something that scared me: he was an outspoken black man who was not quiet and looked really scary. 

Its not enough for the smallest player in the court to dominate the games he plays in, he has to do it in a way that looks unselfish. Also, he can't look any different than anyone else. That's probably racist. 

Maturity brings prespective, I understand that its not how someone looks or how they do a job. Its the results that matter and Iverson's teams were mostly sucessful.