A.I. playing in T-U-R-K-E-Y?



He can't hear you...from the Middle East



Reports indicate that basketball superstar, Allen Iverson, is in "serious" talks to play with the Turkish team Besiktas, according to Gary Moore, his business manager. The one-year deal could net Iverson as much as $2 million, Yahoo! Sports has reported, citing unnamed sources.

Besiktas is considered third among the three most powerful franchises in the Turkish first division and starts league play over the weekend. Besiktas has a strong following in Turkey, and team officials believe Iverson could be an immense gate draw.

One condition in the contract, thus far, is Iverson's insistence on a limit for what the team can fine him, the Yahoo! Sports report says.  Iverson proposed a cap of less than 1 percent of a $1.5 million salary for each fine, the report said, citing a European source. Iverson on Monday was sent a contract Besiktas was hoping to get signed by the end of the week.

Allen Iverson ranks 17th on the NBA's career scoring list with 24,368 points over a 14-year career with Philadelphia, Denver, Detroit and Memphis. He won the MVP in 2001 when he led the Sixers to the finals.

However, after turbulant exits in his last three stops – Detroit, Memphis and Philadelphia – Iverson appears to have exhausted all interest from NBA teams. With less than two weeks before NBA training camps opened, Iverson had not been contacted by any NBA team.

The former No. 1 overall pick played three games for Memphis last season before he returned for a second stint with the 76ers. He averaged 13.9 points for the Sixers before he took a leave of absence in March because of "family issues".