Allen Iverson, Spurned by NBA, May Go to Turkey

A top official of Turkish basketball team Besiktas says Allen Iverson is keen to play for the Istanbul squad.

Besiktas executive board member Seref Yalcin told the Anatolia news agency Monday that he will travel to the United States to discuss terms of a possible deal with the 11-time NBA All-Star and former scoring champion.

Yalcin said he would discuss "a variety of details" with Iverson later this week. He said issues included schools in Istanbul for Iverson's children.

Yalcin said "I think this transfer will take place."

Iverson is 17th on the NBA's career scoring list with 24,368 points over a 14-year career.

Iverson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft and spent his first 10 seasons in Philadelphia. He was a four-time scoring champion, averaged 26.7 points and never won a championship.

He was hobbled by an arthritic left knee and constantly needed it drained last season. Iverson also famously clashed with his coaches, notably Larry Brown, but returned to Philadelphia humbled, reserved and more accepting of team play. He took a leave of absence in March because of family issues.

Last month, Iverson's manager said the player was mulling playing in China.