Stephen A. Smith reported the Lakers considered signing Allen Iverson in 2012 if he was "willing" to play in D-League first originally appeared on Basketball Network .
The Los Angeles Lakers were eager to redeem themselves in 2012 following a devastating first-round playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks . Ahead of the trade deadline, Stephen A. Smith reported that the Lakers were considering signing Allen Iverson to bolster their backcourt.
At the time, Iverson was already two years from his retirement from the NBA. Though the former Philadelphia 76ers superstar played professional basketball overseas for a year, Smith said the Lakers would only consider signing Iverson under one condition.
According to Smith, the Lakers would like to see Iverson perform in the NBA D-League first. They wanted to ensure that "The Answer" could still play at a high level before deciding.
" Allen Iverson, who sources indicated the Lakers had some interest in as long as he was willing to go to the NBA Developmental League for a few weeks first, is not the answer," Smith wrote via ESPN. "He's simply not a point guard. The Lakers are also said to be interested in former Toronto Raptors point guard Rafer Alston, who helped the Orlando Magic reach the NBA Finals in 2009. But who knows if that will materialize into anything?"
"All we know for the moment is that the parts the Lakers have are not good enough," he added.
For the Lakers faithful, the idea of having Kobe Bryant and Iverson together sounded exciting. But taking a quick trip down memory lane, the Sixers also thought about the same thing way back in 1996.
That year, Iverson was the most highly touted incoming NBA rookie. On the other hand, Bryant was also gaining traction as a high school phenom who had jumped straight into the pros. Both youngsters were up-and-coming, and the Sixers were truly enticed to form an explosive backcourt duo with Bryant and Iverson. However, the Lakers swooped for Kobe on draft day right after he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th overall pick.
"In 1996, Sixers scout Tony DiLeo wanted to draft high schooler Kobe Bryant and discussed trading a young Jerry Stackhouse to pair Iverson and Bryant together," Jonathan Abrahams said in his book entitled "Boys Among Men."
Unsurprisingly, nothing came to fruition in the Lakers' interest in Iverson in 2012. It wasn't clear why it did not progress, but knowing "The Answer" and his ego, joining the NBA D-League in the hope of making it back to the league was something he wouldn't do or even consider.
The Lakers headed to the 2011-12 playoffs without an elite point guard. Their season concluded after a tough second-round loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder .
At that point, the Lakers were desperate to win another NBA championship. The front office began to work in the summer and formed a star-studded starting five for the next season.
Instead of pursuing Iverson to fill the point guard position, the Lakers managed to sign two-time MVP Steve Nash . Apart from Nash, All-Star big man Dwight Howard also joined the Purple and Gold in a historic free agency move.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, Nash didn't live up to their expectations. As for Iverson, he never returned to the NBA and never considered playing in the D-League.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
