Suspect arrested in theft of Allen Iverson backpack containing $500K in jewelry

The former Philadelphia 76er says he is grateful for the recovery of a backpack he was carrying that happened to contain $500,000 in jewelry that was stolen from a Philadelphia hotel lobby

Allen Iverson thegrio.com
SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 20: Allen Iverson of 3's Company addresses the media in week nine of the BIG3 three-on-three basketball league at KeyArena on August 20, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/BIG3/Getty Images)

Some of us carry water bottles, gym clothes or laptops around in our backpacks, but NBA Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson apparently walks around with $500,000 worth of jewelry in his pack, based on the arrest of a theft suspect.

Christopher Daniel, 21, surrendered and confessed to police on Tuesday in the theft of the backpack belonging to the former Philadelphia 76ers guard, WPVI reported.

READ MORE: Allen Iverson says Michael Jordan called him a “Lil B*tch” when he met him so he paid him back with infamous crossover

Why Iverson was walking around with a half-million dollars worth of bling is not known, but police say the theft happened at the Sofitel Hotel in Center City Philadelphia on Monday.

Iverson was in the hotel but not in the lobby, where one of Iverson’s friends left the backpack in a chair, according to WPVI. Video shows Daniel lingering in the lobby, then picking up the backpack and walking out of the hotel, a source told the station.

Daniel is facing multiple theft charges.

Allen is grateful, his representatives said in a statement published on Twitter.

“As of today, the jewelry that was stolen from Allen Iverson has been found and the suspect has been apprehended,” read the statement tweeted Tuesday by his representative Moore Management & Entertainment. “Allen thanks the Philadelphia Police Department along with the people of Philadelphia for their support in this matter. Thank you.”

READ MORE: Allen Iverson just can’t cross over from drama

Iverson grew up in Hampton, Va., area and became a basketball legend at Bethel High School, where officials retired his jersey.

He played college basketball for Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. While there, he was a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and also was named Big East Rookie of the Year in his freshman season.

In the NBA, Iverson earned Most Valuable Player in 2000-2001. He was Rookie of the Year in 1996 and won two All-Star MVP awards.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2016 along with Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE