Iverson goes from misunderstood to loved

The leading scorer in the NBA is confident, maybe too much so. He has no problem showing off[1] his tattoos[2], his posse or his game. He would take every shot if his teammates let him. And he's probably not the kind of guy you'd want your daughter to date.

However, the NBA, which didn't embrace[3] the guy it pegged[4] as a troublemaker when he was the top pick in the draft by Philadelphia in 1996, now is partially entrusting Allen Iverson with carrying the league into the next millennium[5]. Hypocritical[6]? Not really.

While plenty of eyes will be on the big guys in Sunday's All-Star classic, it's the smallest participant who just may steal the show. So it's easy to see why the NBA all of a sudden likes the guy.

What's interesting here is that the Iverson you see now just might be the same Iverson who came out of Georgetown with so much fanfare[7]. He says he is, though those around him disagree.

"I haven't changed a bit, though I am getting wiser and smarter every day," Iverson said on Friday at All-Star weekend. "No, I'm not changing, it's just people are trying to understand me now. I was 20, 21 years old when I came into the league and the league wanted me to be 30. You don't see a kid who is 21 wearing suits every day. That wasn't me."

Maybe people didn't know what Iverson was all about back then. There were certainly reasons to wonder if he would fit in, on and off the court. Iverson was considered a troublemaker, and it's more than the unfortunate incident at the bowling alley that landed him in prison (the governor of Virginia later pardoned Iverson). It's the fact that he was labeled a threat to land in trouble at any time, to speak his mind. And occasional wars with Sixers head coach Larry Brown haven't helped change that perception.

But Iverson has changed. Since moving from point guard to shooting guard last season, he turned into the top scorer in the league and it's not even close. Iverson is at 30 points a game and Shaquille O'Neal is three points a night below that. And off the court, the man they call The Answer seems more mature to those who play with and against him and the media that see him often.