Allen Iverson was a player for the ages. He was undersized in a game that is dominated by giants. He brought a fire that was never quite equaled. He helped to bring back the Philadelphia 76ers from the brink of extinction. When he was at his best, he was the Answer to whatever needed to be overcome. He met all challenges head on, without hesitation, and without fear.
Allen Iverson is now scared, timid, lost, and near defeat. That is the picture that has been painted by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Stephen A Smith.
We have learned over the last couple of days that the former NBA Star is in the battle of his life. Allen Iverson is hitting a bottom with his drinking and gambling. It seems to have cost him his marriage, his kids, and his career as an NBA player. It is a sad story, one that is horrible to watch unravel, but it is happening. Who can help Allen Iverson in these trivial times? Stephen A seems to believe that Iverson lacks the guidance of former college coach John Thompson, or of former 76ers owner Pat Croce. Former Temple coach John Chaney agrees with SAS that Thompson could get through to Iverson. Get him off this path of destruction. I get it. He was a mentor at one time for Allen Iverson, helped him get his life back on track when he was a teenager and helped get him into the NBA. Allen Iverson is beyond someone slapping him in the face and telling him to tuck his jersey in and stay away from the bar after a game. The answer to Allen Iversons issue is not John Thompson, or Pat Croce, or Larry Brown or whoever else has been an authority figure in his life. Allen Iverson is the answer.
I’m not one to attach vice labels on anyone such as “alcoholic” or “compulsive gambler”. I am an alcoholic, and God-willing, I will be celebrating 10 years of sobriety, ironically enough, on Saint Patrick’s Day next week. I know I’m an alcoholic, I don’t know if he is. Only Allen Iverson knows his situation. Whether or not he is an alcoholic, he is still ultimately responsible for his life and making the choice of turning it around, just like he is responsible for it falling apart. I don’t know who Iverson kept company with when he wasn’t at practice or playing in a game. Maybe he isolated himself. But that was his choice. It wasn’t anyone else’s responsibility. Iverson could have made the choice to spend his time with his family, with the wife that he claims that he would die for. But we do know that he chose to spend time drinking and gambling. Those were his choices. Now it is his time to be the answer to his problems. It is time for Allen Iverson to not only take responsibility to straighten out his life, but to be accountable to others as well. Just as he did as the team leader of the 76ers when he carried them to the NBA Finals in 2001. However, he doesn’t have to be fearless. He can be vulnerable, admit that he is fearful, and admit that he needs help. He doesn’t need to make it public, but he needs to find someone he feels close enough to and let them know he needs help. But, first, needs to own his mistakes, something that he has not always been able to do, even professionally. How many times did we hear during his career that it was managements or his coaches fault for the troubles he was dealing with, especially the last few years. The pattern is there.
Basketball is most likely not an option for Allen Iverson, at least not playing it professionally. But, right now he doesn’t have a career in anything unless he does what is necessary to preserve his life, and his children. I don’t know if he can repair his relationship with his wife, but he is responsible to the 5 children he is a father to. If he continues down the path that he is on, not only will he have lost his career, but his life too. Allen Iverson is the first answer to solving this problem, and until he realizes that, nobody can step in to help.
UPDATE: From Allen Iversons Twitter Account:
To my fans: You all know that my life isn’t perfect. I am going through some very tough times right now, like I am sure that we all do from time to time. However, I will stand tall like always with “rhino” thick skin. Even though I have become used to hearing people say things about me that aren’t true, it still hurts. I encourage you to continue your ongoing support and I want you to trust that this is another obstacle in my life that, with God’s help I will overcome. God Bless You All.
Not sure what the context of all of this, but this seems like his first public admission. It is definitely a start.
#1 by patphish on March 9, 2010 - 9:27 am
Quite possibly the best paragraph ever written on this site.
#2 by john on March 9, 2010 - 9:49 am
Very well done sir.
#3 by GatorTrey on March 9, 2010 - 9:59 am
Well said. The pattern is definitely there, and for the sake of his family, lets hope he can get it under control.
#4 by Johnny on March 9, 2010 - 10:03 am
Good job sparty
#5 by GatorTrey on March 9, 2010 - 10:05 am
Sparty,
Do you think his absence has been to address these issues?
#6 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 10:25 am
one way or another, his absence is due to the issues. whether or not it is to take care of these issues, who knows besides him or those closest to him? SAS article was vague as to what Iverson is doing to deal with it, but it implies that it isn’t much. Seems like he was making a plea on behalf of Iverson because of his love for him.
#7 by knightro on March 9, 2010 - 10:28 am
Through some set of circumstances that we are not aware of, Allen Iverson was a problem before he made it to Georgetown. I contend he was in the habit of making poor decisions from a very early age. And from that point, he likely didn’t have to worry about bad decisions because (and I am speculating here) someone always fixed it for him. Teachers, coaches, thug friends, hangers-on, and people who wanted to exploit his exceptional talent. And here we are after years and years of those who surrounded, and continue to surround him, encouraging and defending his poor decision making. There was never a need for AI to make better or different choices. He has a talent, and the people who stood to make money or succeed because of him, insulated him. Propped him up. Took the blame. Looked the other way. And enabled him in more ways than we can count. I don’t consider AI a particularly bright person, and that stupidity or ignorance or whatever, made it easy for him to continue down the path of destructive behavior. So while I essentially agree with sparty that AI had choices, if he didn’t know what the good ones were and what the bad ones were, he couldn’t act on them accordingly. This is not to say that pissing away what I can only imagine is hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars gambling isn’t obviously a poor choice. He knew on some level what was right or wrong. But his background is/was not like most of us here. He was doomed. Doomed by his history, his education, and those who he chose to surround himself with. Add to that the sense of entitlement that permeates professional athletics, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone where Allen Iverson is at this point in time.
I have never been a fan of Iverson’s, but I do hope he, or someone he listens to, can figure a way out.
#8 by cycledan on March 9, 2010 - 10:33 am
Trouble has always followed him. I believe he was arrested for some sort of brawl in high school where he was then granted a pardon by the governor. The problem with AI like so many pro athletes is that they are given more money per year than a mid-sized corporation earns and they are not equipped to deal with it.
Some invest their money, spend it wisely and are set for life when they retire. To put it bluntly, AI is simply not that bright. If someone like AI gets surrounded by others looking to latch on and try to get a piece of his wealth instead of looking out for him, then he is in trouble.
Something like 50% of lottery winners and pro-athletes are bankrupt within 5 years of winning the lottery or retiring. The leagues need to do a better job mentoring their employees so they are not simply sucked in by the complexities of being handed such large contracts.
#9 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 10:41 am
The thing with Iverson is that all of his past indiscretions have had band-aid type fixing. he has been given opportunity after opportunity to change how he lives his life and hasn’t, apparently. He’s not a dumb guy and has people give him advice, but he ignores them. This is all on him.
#10 by knightro on March 9, 2010 - 10:54 am
Don’t disagree…to a point. It is all on him, without a doubt. However, I don’t think he is a smart as you give him credit for. I honestly don’t believe he has the right people around him. I worried about Carmelo for a while but it seems he has put different pieces in place to right his ship. Only time will tell whether he (Anthony) comes out of his NBA career in a positive place, or if he even finishes it without any further missteps. Iverson may have some intelligent players in his entourage but not a sufficient number to shout down the detrimental types. He has never had to listen to the good/smart people. You’ve heard it from his own mouth…it is always someone else’s fault or an unreasonable expectation of him. His thinking has ALWAYS been flawed. And I am only saying it started very early in his life and was validated by others around him from a point where he was way too young to know better.
#11 by guyinthecorner on March 9, 2010 - 10:53 am
I’d like to stop the implications that Iverson’s past was his fault. If you guys knew what happened to him in high school, you never would have mentioned it.
In short, he was in a bowling alley when there was a huge fight between some white kids and AI and his friends who were all black. AI knew anybody would recognize him and left into an alley before anything happened. The cops in Virginia arrested all the black kids (including AI) and none of the white kids. Then they used a law that was written for mob violence (AKA lynching) to put him in jail after he was put up as an adult for hitting a woman with a chair. This was despite an extreme lack of evidence. He served 4 months before they let him out.
Any black kid who goes to jail for 4 months during high school for something they didn’t do because white people wanted him in jail is going to have a tough life.
#12 by GatorTrey on March 9, 2010 - 11:46 am
Man, you’re talking to the wrong guy about this. Several thousands of minorities are locked up simply because they’re too poor to be able to pull themselves out of the hole they begin in.
That being said, his addiction has NOTHING to do with that incident, to believe so is very very Naive.
#13 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 10:58 am
pure speculation on your part. ya know, some people don’t use the system as an excuse, even if it is broken.
#14 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 10:59 am
oh, i agree with this. but that was his choice to not surround himself with them.
#15 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 11:01 am
any white kid that goes to jail unjustly for 4 months is fine.
/gitc’d
#16 by guyinthecorner on March 9, 2010 - 11:06 am
What part was speculation?
I would say the same if a white kid went to jail for something he didn’t do because of racism when he was 17 I’d say the same thing. I’m not sure that’s ever happened.
#17 by guyinthecorner on March 9, 2010 - 11:10 am
Seriously, you don’t think a black kid who gets sent to jail during high school for something he not only didn’t do, but was clearly railroaded by white people and convicted using lynching laws is going to have some emotional problems?
#18 by GatorTrey on March 9, 2010 - 11:50 am
Emoptional problems are onset by things MUCH MUCH deeper than getting arrested at a young age. One out of two males growing up in the conditions he did are arrested by the age of 18.
One out of three have a felony on their record by the age of 25.
Educate yourself on the environments they grew up in, and it will give you a lot more answers.
#19 by cabbage on March 9, 2010 - 11:12 am
Whatever the reasons are, his life is going down the crapper fast. I hope someone can get through to him before it is too late. Despite all of the bullshit that has surrounded him, he has always come across as a decent human being to me.
#20 by guyinthecorner on March 9, 2010 - 11:16 am
That’s the thing. He’s always been a good guy. His emotions have always run high and I could imagine him being in a lot of trouble with his wife leaving him and his daughter’s illness.
I’m not sure how he pulls himself out, but I really hope he does.
#21 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 11:21 am
so your point about him being black shouldn’t have anything to do with it. and it is speculation is assuming that any kid that goes to jail unjustly is automatically going to have a rough life.
#22 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 11:27 am
gitc- stop blaming societys problems for his faults. he wasn’t living where he was anymore. those are things of his past. he had opportunities to change his life, regardless of whatever happened to him. Iverson’s problems now are all his fault. Does he have shit to work through? of course he does, but he has to take responsibility for his mistakes.
#23 by knightro on March 9, 2010 - 11:28 am
From an article on ESPN by Mike Sielski…
http://espn.go.com/classic/biography/s/Iverson_Allen.html
On June 7, 1975, in Hampton, Va., Iverson was born into circumstances few would envy. His mother, Ann, was 15 and unmarried when she gave birth. His biological father, Allen Broughton, was not involved in his upbringing at all.
…
As a boy, Iverson played basketball for money. Sometimes, if he didn’t win, he didn’t eat. “There were times when Allen never knew where his next meal was going to be,” said Mike Bailey, Iverson’s basketball coach at Bethel High School in Hampton. “Here’s a kid who couldn’t take a bath because he had no running water because it had been turned off.”
The man Iverson called “Dad” was Michael Freeman, Ann’s boyfriend, who ricocheted in and out of prison during Allen’s adolescence. From 1991-96, Freeman was twice convicted — and twice paroled — for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
“I feel all the jail time he did was for us,” Allen said. “He couldn’t stand to look at us (living) like that. So he went out and did what he had to do.”
…
he went to a Hampton bowling alley with friends on Valentine’s Day 1993. A brawl broke out between Iverson’s friends, all of whom were African-American, and several white teenagers.
Iverson said the brawl was triggered by racial slurs, and although the level of his involvement remains unclear — he has maintained his innocence — Iverson was alleged to have hit a woman in the head with a chair. He and three other African-American youths were arrested.
At 17, Iverson was convicted on a felony charge of “maiming-by-mob” and drew a 15-year prison sentence, with 10 years suspended. He spent four months at the Newport News City Farm before Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder granted him a pardon. In 1995, the Virginia Court of Appeals overturned the conviction, citing insufficient evidence of his guilt.
“I had to use the whole jail situation as something positive,” Iverson said. “Going to jail, someone sees something weak in you, they’ll exploit it. I never showed any weakness. I just kept going strong until I came out.”
Like I said, he was doomed from the start.
#24 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 11:32 am
So no one has every pulled themselves up out of the ghetto to rise above racial tensions, broken homes, and poverty?
#25 by knightro on March 9, 2010 - 11:40 am
Absolutely not saying that at all. I don’t want to paint with as broad a brush as GITC. But statistically speaking, it happens rarely. Iverson had the opportunities and the means to have a far different life. I think the article illustrates that, even as recently as this article, AI’s values are skewed the wrong way. Defending his dad for dealing drugs. His values were cemented at a very early age and, for whatever reason, he never grew out of them. He was never, and is not, smart enough to make good decisions or listen to and follow those who know better.
#26 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 11:35 am
you guys should go read Hollywood Hendersons story. doesn’t blame his family life, being poor, or being black for his cocaine addiction and wasting his life away. he cleaned himself up before he won the lottery.
#27 by patphish on March 9, 2010 - 11:43 am
Twice.
#28 by patphish on March 9, 2010 - 11:43 am
WTF? Dude had a rough upbringing, so didn’t a lot of people, myself included. He’s a grown man, not a 17 year old kid any more. Grow up, reach out, get some help. The NBA/NFL/MLB is filled with guys that grew up in bad siuations. You think Iverson had it rougher in Newport News than Boldin did in Pahahokee? Or Santonio Holmes in Belle Effing Glade? Or the pile of kids that play ball from Compton? Or the HUNDREDS of kids from the piss poor ghettos of Venezuela or the Dominican that play baseball? I love AI as a player, but it’s grow up time. Step up and get your shit together. And yes, it ain’t easy. SO?
#29 by knightro on March 9, 2010 - 11:50 am
I am not an apologist for AI or any other individual with a broken past. I am only saying his stupidity has been the only consistent and ever-present quality that has gotten him to this point. He should take responsibility and make changes. Don’t know if he can.
#30 by patphish on March 9, 2010 - 11:54 am
Of course he can. I see people every day that are not as smart as AI make life changes that boggle the mind.
#31 by GatorTrey on March 9, 2010 - 11:54 am
One last thing.
What Allen Iverson was able to do with his life, was not only pull himself out of a potential reoccuring cycle, but doing it in a way that allowed him to forever stay out.
Again. One in Two males coming from poverty the way he did are arrested by the age of 18. Hundreds of them unjustly.
It’s why I’m in the job I’m in, and not on the other side. And I feel very strongly for it.
#32 by BrawnyTom on March 9, 2010 - 5:09 pm
Nice write up Sparty.
#33 by Beltwayboy on March 9, 2010 - 5:12 pm
Look this should not become a black/white issue! It’s a human issue that can affect anyone of us regardless of race. It’s a tough road back for anyone who is dealing with a substance abuse issue, but it can be done. I wish Allen Iverson the best in his recovery!
#34 by sparty on March 9, 2010 - 7:47 pm
andi wasn’t writing this article to be a black and white. what you said were my intentions.
#35 by shay on March 9, 2010 - 6:47 pm
To Allen Iverson,my heart and my love goes out to you,keep your head up and keep praying.
#36 by rick on March 9, 2010 - 9:34 pm
gotta hit the bottom before you rock out. Best of luck to AI.