PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson cupped his hand to his left ear and asked to hear his favourite tune one more time. With that command, 20,000 roaring Philadelphia 76ers fans gave AI the standing ovation he earned by stamping himself as one of the franchises all-time greats. Iverson, emotional as he thanked former teammates and friends, had his No. 3 retired at halftime of Saturdays game against Washington. High above the Wells Fargo Center court, Iversons banner slipped between Maurice Cheeks No. 10 and Charles Barkleys No. 34. "They all wanted me to talk about how much yall loved me," Iverson said, "but trust me, the feeling was mutual." Iverson officially retired in October after last playing in 2010. He won four scoring titles for the Sixers and was the 2001 MVP when he led them to the NBA Finals. He never won a championship, the lone omission in a career that is destined for the Hall of Fame. The Sixers may as well have turned the arena into an AI museum. Four banners greeted fans at the main concourse entrance, and photos of him were plastered all around the arena. The merchandise stands sold Iverson jerseys for $130, and lower level tickets were going for as much for $1,280 on Stubhub about an hour before the 7:30 p.m. tipoff. The fans loved him, and he blew them kisses after the No. 3 was raised to show how much he loved them back. "I am Philly," Iverson said. "Its always going to be that way." Iversons return injected a rare dose of excitement into a franchise playing some of the worst basketball in the league. The Sixers, in full-blown rebuilding mode, had lost 12 straight entering Saturdays game. The losing didnt matter much Saturday, just the memories. The Sixers wore special "Iverson Forever" patches on their jerseys and Iversons 3 on their pregame warmup shirts. "Its a great example of how this city responds to somebody that they clearly think the world of and brought such exciting times to the city of Philadelphia," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. The Sixers retirement gift was a boat named in honour of his nickname, "The Answer." "It feels good," Iverson said after the ceremony, "but some part of my heart hurts because I know its over." Iverson joined Cheeks, Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain and Julius Erving among the eight retired numbers in franchise history. Erving attended the ceremony. Moses Malone, Dikembe Mutombo, Theo Ratliff, Gary Payton and former team president Pat Croce also were at the celebration. Former coach Larry Brown, who both clashed with and loved Iverson over their tenure, sent a videotaped message. "I just want to tell you, and I say this fondly: God put me there to coach you," Brown said. Iverson said Brown was the player who moulded him into one of the NBAs best. "I always had raw talent," he said. "I needed Larry Brown to polish it up." Iverson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft and spent his first 10 seasons in Philadelphia. He also played for Denver, Detroit, and Memphis before returning to Philadelphia for a 25-game stint in 2009-10. Iverson, who mashed hip-hop culture and hoops like no player before him, was perhaps at his peak in his fifth NBA season. The 165-pound guard averaged 31.1 points, was the MVP of the All-Star game and propped an entire franchise on his 6-foot frame all the way to the finals. Led by Brown, the Sixers needed Game 7 wins in consecutive series for the right to play the Lakers. Shaquille ONeal, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers swept their way through the post-season before Game 1 in Los Angeles. Iverson had 48 points in 52 minutes of an overtime victory. The Sixers didnt have enough to go the distance and the Lakers won the next four games. Hes 21st on the NBAs career scoring list with 24,368 points over 914 career games. Iverson, drafted out of Georgetown, scored 30-plus points 345 times and was an 11-time All-Star. His No. 3 jersey was a bestseller around the globe, the headband wrapped snugly around his cornrows, and the tattoos were as much a part of his image as the way he ricochets around the court. Play every game like it was his last was more than a catchphrase, it was a lifestyle. "Who could not be an Allen Iverson fan?" said Thaddeus Young, the lone current Sixers player who played with Iverson. "It got no bigger than him in Philadelphia." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was at the game for AIs night. "Allen was a special player," Silver said before the game. "The great things he did for the league far outweigh the occasional headache. I always thought even at the time of Allen Iversons prominence in the league, he was representative of his generation." D.J. Fluker Seahawks Jersey . Nick Young scored 17 points for Los Angeles, which lost five of its last seven before trouncing the Pelicans, who beat them handily last week in New Orleans. Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry scored 15 points apiece for the Lakers, who led by 20 points in the first half before coasting to their 12th win in their last 13 regular-season meetings with New Orleans. Barkevious Mingo Jersey . Raonic, the No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., fired 11 aces and did not have a double-fault as he comfortably advanced to the third round at the Masters Series event. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/customized/. Redden played a total of 1,023 regular-season games with Ottawa, the New York Rangers, St. Louis and Boston. He finished with 457 points (109 goals, 348 assists) and a plus-160 rating over his career. Dontae Johnson Jersey . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. 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Smith has been sidelined throughout the entire off-season while recovering from ankle surgery this spring. He showed Tuesday that hes itching to get back to work with his teammates. "You come off a pretty good game — we did some great stuff in the Super Bowl — and then (the off-season) was just a lull for me," Smith said. "A lot of down time. A lot of watching and a lot of learning. Dealing with my own emotions and stuff every day. It was good to get out here today and start moving around a little bit." While Smith had been able to participate in walkthroughs with the team, he was held out of practice until this week. Smith was limited on Monday before taking on a larger workload Tuesday. His leaping interception was the highlight of practice for the Seahawks. "He made a cameo appearance and showed what MVPs do," linebackers coach Ken Norton said. "It was really good for him to get some work, some good positive work, and now his confidence is back where it was before and were excited about putting good daays together for him to play this week.dddddddddddd" Smith may not play this Friday in Seattles third preseason game against the Chicago Bears, but he is on track to be ready by the start of the regular season. "If we had a game today, I feel like I could play," Smith said. "So, you know, Ill just keep building from there and try to get the most out of my ankle." A former seventh-round draft pick, Smith has continued to develop into a trusted member of the Seahawks defence. Norton and head coach Pete Carroll recruited Smith to USC in 2007. After Carroll left USC for the Seahawks in 2010, Smith was again reunited with his old coaching staff when he was selected with the 242nd pick of the 2011 draft. "Hes been with us forever, since like fourth grade it seems," Carroll joked. "Hes a real fixture in our defence. We love his flexibility. Hes such a great playmaker so its great to get him back." Smith played in 15 regular-season games for Seattle last season, making eight starts. He racked up 54 tackles, two interceptions, a sack and a forced fumble during the regular season, but took his game to another level in the playoffs. In the NFC championship against the San Francisco 49ers, Smith hauled in an interception on a tipped pass by Richard Sherman that clinched the 23-17 victory for the Seahawks. Then in the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos, Smith returned a deflected Peyton Manning pass 69 yards for a touchdown and recovered a fumble by Demaryius Thomas. 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