Allen Iverson just can’t cross over from drama
OPINION - Monday, reports surfaced his ex-wife Tawanna had accused the 38-year-old of 'kidnapping' their five kids...
For 14 NBA seasons, he was “The Answer” in the NBA. Allen Iverson wowed crowds and nearly led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA title in 2001.
Although not officially retired, he hasn’t played an NBA game in three years, and the headlines off the court have ranged from downright sad to bizarre.
Monday, reports surfaced his ex-wife Tawanna had accused the 38-year-old of “kidnapping” their five kids.
Multiple outlets ranging from the Los Angeles Times to Sports Illustrated picked up the story and the questions surrounding Iverson’s post-playing life started all over again.
The struggles of post-basketball life
WXIA-TV‘s Jeff Hullinger caught up with Iverson Monday at an Atlanta hotel, where the former league MVP was walking his kids to his Maybach car:
“They say I stole my kids?” a somewhat despondent Iverson asked the reporter. “That’s what they say? […] If that’s what you believe and people think I’m crazy enough to do, then so be it.”
It wasn’t exactly a full-scale denial, but a new TMZ report indicates an Atlanta judge is on Iverson’s side.
The outlet, which first reported the alleged kidnapping claims Monday, cites sources that Iverson already appeared before a Fulton County judge to address the matter. The judge agreed Iverson did not deserve jail time and the kids were later returned to Tawanna following the hearing.
His ex-wife Tawanna has sole custody of the kids, according to the WXIA report.
The future holds…
The situation is more than enough to make his fans shake their collective heads: Why does this stuff keep happening to A.I.?
Unlike other public figures, Iverson is not initially afforded the “benefit of the doubt.” Too much has gone on. For too long.
An April Washington Post report on Iverson’s life after basketball quoted former teammates saying the superstar had hit “rock bottom.”
The story, penned by Kent Babb, quoted Iverson as saying he “didn’t even have money for a cheeseburger,” at a divorce proceeding last year in Atlanta.
A month before the article was published, the Sixers invited Iverson back for  his own “bobblehead” night. The team’s last great star was understandably emotional. He fought tears, telling Philadelphia’s Comcast Sports Net:
“It’s always emotional coming back here because they love me so much and the feeling is so mutual,” Iverson said. “You really don’t know…or have the words to describe it but obviously it’s a great feeling […] The fact that I could become a household name in Philadelphia, that’s probably it. Just the fact that regardless of the ages that support me here, just knowing that they support me and love me and loved everything that I gave to the game.”
Iverson told CSN he was focused on being a good father and if NBA basketball was a part of his future, “God would make that happen.”
Follow theGrio’s Sports Editor Todd Johnson on Twitter @rantoddj
