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." 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Taylor Guilbeau Jersey .com) - The Vancouver Canucks recovered from a fluke goal early last time out to knock off one of the top teams in the league.DELRAY BEACH, Fla. -- John Isner and Marin Cilic notched quarterfinal victories Friday night to set up a semi-final match at the ATP World Tour Delray Beach Open. No. 4 seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa and American qualifier Steve Johnson will meet in the other semifinal. Isner was stretched to three sets for his third consecutive match, beating American qualifier Rhyne Williams 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. "Trust me, Id like to win it in two sets," said Isner, the American who is seeded second. Cilic, the seventh seed, now has won an ATP World Tour-leading 16 matches this season. The Croatian delivered 12 aces in his 6-2, 6-3 win against Gabashvili. "Good times are rolling," Cilic said. Johnson defeated No. 6 seed Feliciano Lopez 6-3, 6-2. The 24-year-old from the University of Southern California upset top-seeded Tommy Haas two days ago and earned a spot in the semifinals for the first time at an ATPP event.dddddddddddd "Im playing composed tennis and staying within myself," said Johnson, who helped USC to four NCAA titles. Johnson had to win two qualifying matches to earn a spot in the 32-player main draw. Anderson, ranked No. 21 in the world, got into the semifinals by beating Australian Marinko Matosevic 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-3. Neither player broke serve until 3-3 of the second set when Anderson broke Matosevic and went on to close out the set. He also broke Matosevic twice in the first four games of the third set and punctuated the victory with a 131 mph ace on the final point of the match. "Ive played him a couple times before (on the World Tour) and its a battle each time," Anderson said of Matosevic, who has yet to beat the former University of Illinois standout in three ATP matches. 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