Final Answer: Allen Iverson retires as one of the greatest.

It is official. One of the NBA's greatest players and scorers ever has retired.

Allen Iverson told Stephen A. Smith of ESPN today that he is retiring from the NBA. Forget the unfair ending he went through, but let's look back this legendary career.

He was a 6-foot-tall but was a beast on the court . Iverson will probably go down as one of the 25 greatest players ever. He accomplished so many great things in the NBA, things that guys like Carmelo and LeBron only dream about.

It all started in the summer of 1996 when the Philadelphia Sixers drafted Iverson out of Georgetown University with the first overall pick.

Iverson's accomplishments:

-1996 Rookie of the year.
- An amazing 24,020 career points, 5,522 career points and 1965 steals.
- Amazing Career averages of 27.1 ppg (5th all-time) and 6.2 apg along with 2.2 spg.
- 30 ppg in the playoffs for his career (2nd all-time next to Michael Jordan).
- 1996 Rookie of the year.
- Three time NBA steals leader.
- Four time NBA scoring champion!.
- 10 time NBA All-star
- Two time NBA All-star game MVP
- 2001 lead one of the least talented teams in league history to the Finals.
- 2001 NBA MVP.

Oh and all of that at barely 6 feet tall and about 170 lbs. All of that and fans want to remember the unfair ending?

The truth is in five years when AI goes to the Hall Of Fame we are going to remember his career. The days in Philly when this guy would amaze the world by dropping 50 points, then running around the Wachovia Center with his hand to his ear as the crowd chants his name.

People are going to remember how Iverson changed the game forever. He was arguably the most hated, but was also the most loved athlete in the world. He inspired kids all over the world.

Iverson inspired today's NBA superstars and the future superstars to come. Before him, few many players had cornrows and tattoos and not many people dressed in baggy clothes before games.

AI started that. He started the hip-hop culture in the NBA. 

He showed people in the world that anything is possible no matter what size you are or where you are from.

Growing up in the hard streets of Hampton, Iverson was a star on the football field and on the basketball court and was clearly a super freak athlete. Maybe quicker than any player that has ever played in the NBA, Iverson took over games and dropped 40 points at will.

Nobody will forget the night he dropped 48 points on the Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals or the night he dropped a career-high 60 on the Magic in 2005.

Iverson averaged 30 ppg over four times in his career and he was always top-10 in scoring before being traded to Detroit.

Iverson played harder than any player I have ever seen. He played through all kinds of injuries and is arguably one of the toughest players ever. He had so many memorable moments in his legendary career. You could probably write a book about the memorable games and moments Iverson had in the NBA.

But why did it end like this?

Just a year ago, when he played for the Nuggets Iverson was one of the best guards in the league, averaging 26.4 ppg and 7.1 apg along with 2.2 spg and shooting 46 percent from the field. Than the Nuggets traded him to the Detroit Pistons for Chauncey Billups and everything went downhill from there.

His whole career, the media and the critiques said Iverson should shoot and dribble less.

Last season Iverson had a talented team and did just that. He only took 14 shots per game and his minutes were down. He was playing 27 mpg and touching the ball four times a quarter.

Which future hall of famer and great player who is coming off an amazing season has made that kind of sacrifice? Still, Iverson was constantly bashed by the media and league executives for being selfish and for refusing to come off the bench.

People wanted him to shoot less, play off the ball more and play less minutes. They also wanted him to come off the bench behind Rodney Stuckey. Iverson was frustrated and was sent home after a nasty season with the Pistons.

Although I don't know how 17.5 ppg and 5 apg with another All-Star selection is considered a failed individual season, but the only reason it was that bad was because of the unfair treatment by Michael Curry and the Pistons organization.

Billups won four more games with the Nuggets in the regular season and two more games against the same Lakers that eliminated the Nuggets when Iverson played for them. So all of a sudden Iverson was seen as cancerous to a team, because the team he was on the season before won four more games without him.  

Then in the free agent market of 2009 Iverson barely got any offers because teams thought he was done and was a distraction.

The Memphis Grizzlies eventually signed him and made the same mistake the Pistons made by bringing him off the bench, behind a player he is much better than.

Iverson thought he had enough of this and asked the Grizzlies to be waived.

He was so close to signing with the Knicks last week, but even they passed because of their delusion about Iverson. Today one of the greatest players in the league history retired because of the unfair treatment he got from the league.

For Iverson it must always have felt like "Me against the world" and it was that for him. The media and certain members of the league hated the cornrows, tattoos and hip-hop lifestyle and it pissed them off that these trends were coming to the NBA because of this guy.

Iverson made his way mainstream and next thing you know almost every player in the NBA was rocking cornrows and tattoos and dressing in baggy clothing to their games. David Stern got fed up and made a dress code and ended that though.

Still Iverson's mark will always be remembered in the NBA because the next time a player is trying to reach 25,000 career points they will have to go through Iverson's name. The next time a player is trying to reach 6000 assists, they will have to go through Iverson's name and next time a player wins a scoring title they will mentioned in the same sentence as Iverson.

The next time a player drops 50 or 60 he will be in the same legendary company of  Iverson. The next time any greatness aside from an NBA championship is achieved by any NBA player they will have the honor of saying "I have done things that Allen Iverson has done".  

The man is going down as a legend and we will see him enter the basketball Hall of Fame in about 6 years if he does not return to the game he changed forever. 

He is impossible to forget. So the next time you see a player with cornrows remember Iverson was the reason. The next time you see a player with tattoos and hip-hop clothing remember Iverson started this trend.

The next time you see a player make a rap album, remember Iverson was the reason.

The next time you see a little man take the league over remember Iverson was the reason. Remember and never forget that the "Answer" is also the "Reason". 

Iverson will always be remembered as one of the game's greatest players and the guy who played harder than anyone.

He is arguably the greatest trend setter in league history and one of the most loved/hated players ever. Iverson changed the game forever and will never be forgotten. But just like his play on the court, his career ended way too quick. 

Thank you Allen Iverson for all the great memories. There will never be another player like you.