Iverson returning to U.S. for surgery

Allen Iverson needs surgery to have a lesion removed from his right leg, but the former 76ers star does not plan to retire, his longtime business manager said.

Iverson, 35, is playing his first season for Besiktas in Turkey. His business manager, Gary Moore, told the Associated Press that Iverson planned to undergo surgery in the United States and hoped to rejoin his Turkish team in time for the playoffs.

There is no timetable for the surgery, but Moore said it would be soon. Reports out of Turkey have said that Iverson planned to retire.

The lesion "has to be removed and tested to see if it's benign or not," Moore told the AP. "Once that's removed, Allen is going to look to rehabilitate his leg because the doctors tell him he'll be out four to six weeks. He's hoping to be able to play in the playoffs."

After receiving no NBA offers, Iverson agreed to a two-year deal worth $4 million with Besiktas in November.

A spokesman for the Turkish team told the AP that Besiktas would assess Iverson's future after another MRI exam this week.

Sixers coach Doug Collins said Wednesday that whenever Iverson retires, he would like the former superstar to be associated with the team.

"As long as I'm here, I would love to get Allen Iverson back with this franchise and be recognized for all the great things he did and make him feel a huge part of this," Collins said.

An 11-time all-star, Iverson played 10 full seasons and parts of two others in two stints with the Sixers and was the NBA's MVP in 2000-01. Collins called him a special player.

"I want Allen Iverson to always be a Sixer, and if he is through, I hope he'll reach out," Collins said. "I want him to come back."

Collins would like Iverson to attend something that he isn't known for embracing: practice.

"I would like for him to come to practice, and I would like for him to watch," Collins said. "My understanding is that his last time through here, he was maybe a better leader than he had ever been when he played as a young player."

In Turkey, Iverson has averaged 14.3 points and 31.4 minutes during his team's seven league games and 9.3 points and 22.3 minutes during three Eurocup games.

With the Sixers and Grizzlies last season, he averaged 13.8 points in 28 games. He scored 26.7 points per game in his NBA career.

"This is the most pain he's ever felt from any injury he's had," Moore told the AP. "He's been in tremendous agony."