Allen Iverson

It is part of Philadelphia sports lore, the time Andy Reid told Allen Iverson he didn't think the temperamental 76ers star could play for him. Iverson countered that, having played football in high school, he knew the NFL was different from the NBA, and he'd be different, too. Football coaches aren't just talkin' 'bout practice; it's the cornerstone of everything they do. A decade later, Reid is living out a high-stakes version of that...

The Iverson divorce - a strange, postmodern form of emotional musical chairs - has taken another strange zig. TMZ says Allen Iverson wants to stop - abort, annul, abrogate - divorce proceedings, sputtering on since March 2010, when estranged wife Tawanna first filed papers. In court documents cited by TMZ, the former Sixers megastar requests the court to chuck Tawanna's divorce petition because he and Tawanna revived their union between November 2011 and February 2012, proving that their marriage is not "irretrievably broken," as Tawanna claimed in 2010.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - Former NBA star Allen Iverson is joining a regional basketball league in the Dominican Republic for a month. Team president Milton Nunez said Thursday that the 36-year-old guard would play for Pueblo Nuevo. He declined to say how much Iverson will be paid. Iverson is to arrive Sunday and play for his second-place team that same day against GUG in Santiago province, Nunez said. "He and his agent have told us that he has been training a lot and that even if he hasn't been playing anywhere, he has what we need to help Pueblo Nuevo," Nunez said.

ADAM EATON was sitting in the clubhouse when he received six checks worth at least $20,000 each. If the 23-year-old D-backs' outfielder thought it was too good to be true, well . . . it was. The checks, from the players union's licensing program were for the other Adam Eaton. The 34-year-old who last played in 2009. The one who played two of his 10 major league seasons with the Phillies. According to the Arizona Republic, Diamondbacks infielder Cody Ransom broke the news to the younger Eaton.

The Daily News would like to wish former Flyer Simon Gagne a happy birthday today. He turns 8. Actually, Gagne is 32, but because he was born on a leap day, he hasn't had a chance to celebrate too many birthdays on his actual birth date. With that absurdity in mind, here are a few other things that have occurred in the sporting world on Feb. 29 throughout the years. 2008 * Asante Samuel was designated the starting left cornerback by Eagles coach Andy Reid, signaling Lito Sheppard's exit from the team.

ORLANDO - For 8 years, Philadelphia fans have been trying to form a relationship with 76ers forward Andre Iguodala. For the most part, it's been like trying to grab a fistful of water. One of the reasons rests in the fans' unfair belief that Iguodala should be one of the superstar players in the league after being drafted in the top 10 in 2004. Another is the $80 million contract he signed in 2008. And yet another is that Iguodala's personality isn't one that has allowed him and the fan base to connect, as it did so well with the A.I. who preceded him. But Iguodala never said he was going to be the next Allen Iverson.

METS PITCHER Jon Niese nose he looks different, and he's got former teammate Carlos Beltran to thank for it. The lefthander showed up for spring training yesterday sporting a new schnoz. Niese said he got the idea for a nose job from Beltran who - before being traded to the Giants last July - jokingly said, "We need to get you a new nose. " "He wanted me to have a new nose," Niese told reporters yesterday. "So he offered to pay for it. I was just like, 'All right.' Then it turned into seeing doctors and to getting it fixed.

HE IS LIKE an aging has-been prizefighter who doesn't know when to quit. According to a report, Allen Iverson wants to return to the NBA. To that end, he's willing to play minor league basketball. ESPN.com, citing a source close to the situation, reported that once-proud All-Star point guard is open to playing in the NBA Development League, the Caribbean - even South America - if it leads to a spot on an NBA team. "Allen only wants to play if there's a possibility that it leads to the NBA," the source told the website.

Puerto Rico's professional basketball league has engaged in a few conversations with Allen Iverson about a possible contract, according to Yahoo Sports. Baloncesto Superior Nacional believes that the former MVP and 11-time all-star will be a ticket-seller and possible iconic figure within the league. Iverson's manager has talked to the Puerto Rican league officials about a price, but after Iverson's experience in Turkey it was unclear whether he would consider playing in a league outside of the NBA. The Puerto Rican league starts its 30-game season in March, and it pays its stars about $20,000 a month, plus living expenses.

Some pro athletes just can't let go - or can't afford to. Allen Iverson and Puerto Rico's professional basketball league are negotiating a possible deal for the former Sixer and 11-time all-star, according to Yahoo Sports. Iverson, 36, is hoping for an NBA comeback and working out for one but needs to prove he's capable of playing. In October, Iverson told Yahoo that he'd "play for anybody. " In January, a judge in Georgia ruled in favor of a jeweler trying to recoup $375,000 it says Iverson owes.