If you had an old Allen Iverson jersey from when he played in Philadelphia, well get it out of the attic because Iverson just signed with the 76ers, the NBA franchise that drafted him No.1 overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft out of Georgetown.

The 76ers president Ed Stefanski announced the signing on the team’s website on Wednesday as the 10-time All-Star is expected to make his debut with his first team at home against the Denver Nuggets the team he was traded to on Monday.

“In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time,” Stefanski said in the statement.

Iverson and his agent had met with Stefanski on Monday in Dallas along with head coach Eddie Jordan and two other members of the organization. Many had thought it was a no-brainer for Iverson to replace Williams, who averaged 17.4 points per game, due to a broken jaw and would be out for an extended period of time.

Also Iverson returning to Philadelphia gives the 2001 MVP an opportunity to finish his career in style. It provides the 76ers the attention the franchise deserved. In Philadelphia, they had dropped to the third spot with the Phillies and Eagles, but now with Iverson returning, the attention of the city is back on them and so is the NBA’s as well.

Many pundits had mentioned that Iverson’s premature retirement that was announced last week on Stephen A. Smith’s website along with ESPN and Yahoo! Sports was only that at best. Everyone understood that Iverson really loves the game and would not bow out in such fashion as he did when he parted ways with the Memphis Grizzlies after he did not get his wish to start.

But some also question bringing Iverson back after he had parted ways with the 76ers organization in a bad way. Iverson thinks that can be mended easily with wins.

“We had, at times, a rocky road with Allen Iverson, but we also had a fantastic run with Allen,” Peter Luukko, COO the organization that owns both the 76ers and the Flyers, said to The AP. “The expectations with Allen have changed dramatically. We’re not looking for Allen to individually lead this team the way he has in the past.”

In other words Luukko expects that the franchise will be back in the postseason and with Iverson the seats at the Wachovia Center would no longer be empty.

With the 76ers offering Iverson a one-year deal, which is also non-guaranteed, Philadelphia has a guard who is regarded as one of the toughest and best small players to ever play in the best basketball league in the world.

Luckily for the organization, Philadelphia would only owe a little under $650,000 if they guaranteed Iverson’s contract for the rest of the NBA season in January.

“The whole situation wasn’t about the contract and the money,” the AP was told by Iverson’s agent, Leon Rose. “It was about the opportunity and the chance to come to Philadelphia.”

It is a great opportunity to return home for Iverson, a team he played the first 10 seasons of his illustrious NBA career; he stacked most of his records in Philly. Maybe Stefanski and the organization would give him a chance to finish out his career where he started.

“Allen has always had an affinity for the city of Philadelphia, the fans, the memories of playing here. He’s always talked about the opportunity to come back, said Rose. “Now is the time where it really makes sense for everybody.”