AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Allen Iverson apologized Friday for skipping a Detroit Pistons practice Thanksgiving and insisted it won’t happen again.
The standout guard was the only player who didn’t show up when the Pistons worked out Thursday.
“First of all, I have no excuses,” Iverson said after Detroit’s shootaround for its game Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“It was a personal matter,” Iverson said, “but I just handled it the wrong way. I didn’t call and let them know what was going on.”
Iverson spent most of the first quarter on the bench, until coach Michael Curry sent him in with 2:24 left in the period.
Thirty-nine seconds later, Iverson scored his first basket on a running jump shot.
Rodney Stuckey replaced Iverson, getting his third start of the season, and scored seven points in the game’s first seven minutes.
Iverson finished with 17 points.
“With everything going on, I wanted to play well,” Iverson said. “Especially for my teammates because I let them down by not being here.”
The Pistons acquired Iverson from the Nuggets for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb on Nov. 3. When Iverson was with the 76ers, he had a famous rant in 2002 lashing out at critics complaining about his practice habits.
