All star Memphis Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson has left the team to handle a “personal matter.”

Iverson returned to his home in Atlanta late last week with Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley ‘s permission.

“I expect him to come back,” Heisley said. “If he does retire, I’ll be tremendously disappointed. I feel bad because I don’t think that’s the way he should go out.”

Iverson, 34, in his first year with the Grizzlies, missed the first three games of the season with a hamstring injury before returning. He has come off the bench in each of his three appearances this season and is averaging 12.3 points with 3.7 assists while playing just over 22 minutes a game.

“It’s something that I never did in my life, so obviously it’s a big adjustment,” he said last week. “I’m so tired of discussing that, talking about that, every single day. It’s just not something that I want to discuss.”

Iverson has also acknowledged he had become a distraction.

“When I hear anything about the Memphis Grizzlies, I don’t hear you guys talk about anything other than the situation with me coming off the bench,” he said Friday. “I mean, there’s got to be something else with this team to talk about besides that. But I guess that sells a lot better than anything else when it comes to this team.”

According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, suspects Iverson may actually considering retirement.

Allen Iverson quits? Not Yet