Nobody can say Allen Iverson lacks heart.
He represented the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team in Athens when few superstars would. The Kobe Bryants, Jason Kidds and Kevin Garnetts of the NBA turned down the opportunity.
Iverson went, and never wavered in support of former Olympic team coach Larry Brown, who used to coach the multitalented guard for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tuesday night, the preliminary roster for the future Olympic team was published and Iverson’s name was nowhere to be found. Iverson publicly called for consideration, but directorJerry Colangelo decided to go another route.
How they came to this mind-boggling decision is unclear.
The decision shouldn’t be about age. Iverson is 31 years old, but he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down despite his small 6-foot, 165-pound body. Another selection, Bruce Bowen, is 34 and would be 37 by the 2008 Olympics.
No, this decision has to do with Iverson’s style of play. Iverson monopolizes the basketball as a prolific scorer for the 76ers. But he showed in Athens he is willing to sacrifice his shots for the success of the team.
Looking at the roster, Gilbert Arenas and Kobe Bryant are as guilty as Iverson for dominating their team’s offenses.
Iverson committed and played in 2004. He didn’t cite any of the excuses other NBA pros used, including security concerns, weddings and fatigue. The last excuse is the most laughable, considering the pounding Iverson takes on a daily basis from physical NBA defenses.
Sure, many will know the shooting guard for his infamous comments about practice.
“We’re sitting here, and I’m supposed to be the franchise player, and we’re talking about practice,” he said four years ago. “I mean, listen, we’re sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we’re talking about practice. Not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last, but we’re talking about practice, man. How silly is that?”
But he’s changed, and Iverson’s taken the high road with the snub.
“I’m thankful that I got the opportunity to be on the team the first time,” he said in a Philadelphia newspaper. “At this point, it’s just not meant to be. Now I get to spend time with my kids in the summer.”
This statement, more than anything, should show that Iverson has matured and deserves the chance to contribute. The initial roster contains numerous young players, including former Oregon and current Seattle SuperSonics point guard Luke Ridnour.
Iverson could provide leadership, just as he did in when he led the 76ers almost single-handedly to the NBA Finals in 2001.
The Olympic committee needs to recognize its mistake and add Iverson to the roster.

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