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Allen Iverson has certainly had an interesting season. He began the year in Memphis, ready to prove to people that he could handle a limited role with a struggling team, but was cut three games into the season after leaving the team for personal reasons and being really upset with his 22.3 MPG playing time. Iverson then announced his retirement at age 34, but returned less than a month later with the Philadelphia 76ers, u9s former team, who traded him away a few years ago after a ugly breakup between the team and its star player.

Since returning to Philadelphia, Iverson has been a shell of his former self averaging just 14.3 PPG (a career low), on 43% shooting, to go with just 3 RPG, and career lows in assists per game and steals per game, with 4.3 and 0.7 respectively. However, Iverson has kept his mouth shut because the 76ers are giving him 32.5 MPG.

Recently, in an interesting twist, Allen Iverson was named to the All-Star game, voted in as a starter by the fans, convincing some “experts” around the game to question whether or not fans should have as much say as they do, a proposition backed by Celtics multi time All-Star guard Ray Allen. On the issue, ESPN NBA analyst Chris Broussard said that the fans should not get as much of a say because it is not an exhibition because many times, contract negotiations are made on the basis of number of All Star Games played/started. He also added that All Star Game appearances, especially starts, are a huge part of a players Hall of Fame credentials. I have to disagree with his thoughts.

Yes, players can make more money in negotiations and it will boost your Hall of Fame credentials, and I’m certainly not going to argue that Iverson, in terms of value and statistics is having an All Star type year. However, I will argue that players making money and boosting their Hall of Fame credentials through All Star Game appearances is not a bad thing.

Basketball, like all professional sports, is a business first, though this is often forgotten. Allen Iverson was voted into the All Star Games because fans know his name. For that reason, he will also sell more tickets and jerseys and thus making his organization more money. Despite his down year, Iverson actually ranks 14th in the league in jersey sales. Why shouldn’t he command more money in a negotiation if he’s bringing guys to the arena and selling jerseys?

A player’s Hall of Fame credentials are based on a lot of things, but one of them is how popular they are, as it should continue to be. Yes, being a Hall of Famer is about more than popularity but a player’s Hall of Fame credentials are about more than how many All-Star games they have been voted into. Why shouldn’t your popularity among the fans be a part of your Hall of Fame credentials?

Lastly, I believe the fans should still continue have all the say in voting in the starters because the fans make the league go around. Without them, there would be no league, no sports, and I would have no job. Why not give them an opportunity to see their favorite players in the All-Star game. It’s how all major professional sports do it. Do you think Brett Favre made the Pro Bowl in 2008 because he had a great year, no, it fact he led the league in interceptions that year. He made it because he’s a huge name and a huge star and I see nothing wrong with that either, and strangely enough no one else did either (explain that one to me). Fans just like him just like they like Iverson.