Allen Iverson Live

Allen Iverson is leaving the team indefinitely to care for his sick daughter. The is a delicate situation, but Allen Iverson is doing the right thing. At the end of the day, family is family, and nothing is bigger than family, not even the game.

He will miss the remaining three games of the current road trip. The Sixers visit the Golden State Warriors tonight before heading to Phoenix to face the Suns tomorrow and to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Friday. The Sixers’ next home game is March 1 vs. the Orlando Magic.

“At this time, we feel that is in the best interest of the Sixers, Allen and his family that he be allowed to deal with a very serious issue that is far greater than the game of basketball,” said team president and general manager Ed Stefanski.

Iverson is where he feels he needs to be – with his family.

According to Yahoo sports, there’s speculation that the Philadelphia 76ers are considering breaking ties with Allen Iverson. Allen Iverson will not be with the Philadelphia 76ers on their current West Coast road trip and could have played his last game for the team.

Iverson is with his family to deal with medical issues concerning his daughter, but his constant in-and-out of the lineup this season has led team officials to believe a permanent break is best for the organization. Sources said Iverson went to team officials over the weekend and said he needed to leave the team again.

Sources say Sixers coach Eddie Jordan addressed the players on Sunday, and told them there’s a chance Iverson may not return to the team. However, Sixers ownership, general manager Ed Stefanski and Jordan haven’t sat down and formally come to that decision, but sources with knowledge of the Sixers plans believe the franchise is leaning in that direction.

More to come soon.

Last weekend Allen Iverson was scheduled to start in his 11th NBA All Star game, but the Philadelphia 76er was notably absent from the festivities. Instead, Allen was at home in Atlanta, tending to his seriously ill daughter Messiah, 4.

“I have five kids,” Allen, 34, pointed out after practice in Philadelphia on Monday. “None of them have ever been this sick. It’s a first-time thing for me.”

Adding to his anxiety is the fact that doctors aren’t totally sure about what ails Messiah. She has been in and out of a hospital in Atlanta and will now travel to Philadelphia to undergo treatment at Children’s Hospital.

“If they find out its pneumonia, which they hope it’s not, they’re going to have to admit her again,” Allen reveals. “All I do is just pray on it … ’cause that’s all that can be done right now, ’cause they don’t know exactly what’s wrong with her.”

“I like to look at myself as a strong person, especially dealing with everything in my life. But this is a totally different situation; you find out you’re not as tough as you thought you were when it’s one of your kids.”

Doctors have assured Allen that they’ll “get to the bottom of” Messiah’s symptoms, assurances that have given the point guard peace of mind — to a point. “You look at them eye to eye and you can tell they truly believe that,” he says. “You kind of feel comfortable about it.”

Enough so that Allen has agreed to rejoin his team, after missing five games to be with Messiah. Noting that he has “a commitment and an obligation to be with” the 76ers, Allen says he’s hoping his return to the court will help him stay focused at home.

“I think this is the only thing I do in life where it’s for a couple hours during a game [that] I don’t think about [anything] but that,” he muses. “I think, in some type of way, that will help me deal with my [family] situation a little better.” He adds,

“The strongest man in the world … I don’t think they could deal with it if something happened to one of their kids. I just love my kids.”
In addition to Messiah, Allen and wife Tawanna are parents to Tiaura, 14, Allen II, 11, Isaiah, 6, and Dream, 16 months.

Source: Philly.com

Allen Iverson and the Sixers have finally figured out the 4th quarter and finished strong to beat the Spurs 106-94.

The Sixers were 3-24 this season when they either trailed or were tied after three quarters. The fourth also has been their least productive quarter, averaging 23.4 points and shooting 43.1 percent from the field.

But the Sixers reversed that trend against San Antonio. They opened the fourth quarter down three but outscored the Spurs 33-18, including an 18-3 run.

For those that still don’t believe Allen Iverson is a team player, check this stat out: AI had 7 points, 4 assists, and 8 rebounds. Yes – 8 Rebounds for the barely 6 foot guard.

AI is showing that he is willing to do anything for the team, even if it means being a little monster on the boards.

Note: The last time Iverson played the spurs, he piled up 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in a 103-100 overtime victory Feb. 15, 2006.

Allen Iverson thinks that the Philadelpha 76ers have a chance to make it to the playoffs. Iverson and the Sixers have 29 games left on their regular-season schedule, and they need to go 21-8 to finish at .500 and possibly put themselves in contention for a playoff berth.

“Obviously, you’re playing for your pride and you should just want to win,” Sixers guard Allen Iverson said yesterday after practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “We don’t feel like it’s out of reach.”

Coach Eddie Jordan said Iverson would be back in the starting lineup tonight, after bringing the 14-year veteran off the bench for Tuesday’s game against Miami, a demoralizing 105-78 loss.

The countdown to the playoffs begin tonight agains the San Antonio Spurs. Iverson will have to match up against Tony Parker. Should be a good one.

Allen Iverson returned to the Sixers line-up after missing five games to help care for his ill daughter, Messiah. Unfortunately, it was not enough as Sixers lose badly to Dwayne Wade and the Heat.

“They killed us in every facet of the game,” Iverson said. “They played so much better than us. We can’t play defense the way we played tonight and expect to win basketball games.”

Iverson came off the bench this game, but Coach Eddie Jordan expects to re-insert AI back into the starting line-up soon.

Iverson would have relished role in All-Star Game:

“With the magnitude of the whole thing, being in the “Guinness Book of World Records” for the biggest crowd to watch a basketball game [more than 108,000], in my heart I wanted to be there,” Iverson said after rejoining the 76ers for last night’s first post-All-Star practice.

Ill daughter is Iverson’s main concern

Allen Iverson returns to the Sixers line-up tonight after missing five games to be with his ill daughter. Iverson is expected to play Tuesday night against Miami.

Iverson returned to practice Monday for the first time since Feb. 2. Iverson was voted an Eastern Conference All-Starter, but skipped Sunday’s game to spend additional time with his family. He says doctors are still not sure what is ailing his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah.

“It was tough to leave her and my wife and kids,” Iverson said. “But I do have a commitment and an obligation to be with my team and to do my job. But it is rough. I think this is the only thing I do in life where for a couple hours during the game I don’t think about nothing but (basketball).”

Coach Eddie Jordan says he has not decided if Iverson will start against the Heat.

Iverson said it was tough to miss the All-Star game, won by the East in front of a record 108,713 at Cowboys Stadium.

“In my heart, I wanted to be there,” he said. “I wanted my daughter and my kids to see me be there. I wanted my wife to have the opportunity to see something like that. I just think the bigger responsibility was to be with my daughter at that time.”

Iverson had been in Atlanta with his family. He refused to disclose his daughter’s illness, but said she will soon be treated at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia.

“I can tell she’s getting better. Once we got home, she did a lot of running around, but physical things, with her hands and her feet, I can tell something’s wrong,” Iverson said. “She’s energetic and everything.”

For some, not seeing Allen Iverson during the weekend’s All-Star Game was a shock. But for those who have followed the recent news on Allen, the reaction has been sympathetic. The comments have been flooding in from fans (who voted him as a starter) that are sending their wishes and prayers to Allen and his daughter Messiah, who has been ill with an unknown sickness.

Stephen A. Smith from the Inquirer has a piece about the perception of Allen Iverson. Around the league, coaches and players have been sympathetic to Allen situation.

“He’s where he needs to be right now,” said George Karl, who coached Iverson for more than two seasons before trading him to Detroit for Chauncey Billups in November 2008. “Allen’s always been a guy that . . . his family is very important to him. Maybe of the 10 conversations I’ve had with him, eight of them have been about his family. So I think anytime your 3-year-old child is sick, it drives you crazy. And not having an answer yet – from what I’ve been told . . . there’s no answer about what’s wrong with her – it’s got to be tough on him. I feel for him right now. We all should.”

His article also notes:

“Sickeningly, folks are sending e-mails questioning if, indeed, Iverson’s daughter is sick. A few have said they have seen him on City Avenue in Philadelphia in the a.m. hours, when reports have him with his family in Atlanta. Others are claiming the Sixers are being hoodwinked, that Iverson didn’t attend all- star weekend only because he knew it would be a public relations nightmare.

There’s not a shred of proof, of course. But it’s all in the perception Iverson has created for himself. A perception, for all of his greatness throughout the years, he has failed to change from his irresponsible ways.”

It’s unfortunate that there’s still so much hate going around.  It’s sad that people hold on to their own perceptions and lose sight of human compassion in times like these.

Other news:  Eric Snow is happy that Allen is back with the Sixers.

Our prayers continue to go out to Allen and his family.

As you’ve probably heard, it was announced this morning that Allen Iverson will be sitting out of this Sunday’s All-Star game, contrary to previous reports. Iverson’s spot in the Eastern Conference will be filled by New York forward David Lee. Kobe Bryant is also skipping Sunday’s game due to an injury.

Iverson’s three-year-old daughter, Messiah, has some unnamed sickness that is apparently getting worse and Iverson apparently doesn’t want to leave her.

There has been speculation that Allen Iverson will be retiring. According to Stephen A. Smith, the question of whether it’s time for Iverson to call it a career, is a legitimate question, now more than ever.

“I didn’t know a damn thing about his decision to skip this weekend until this morning,” one of Iverson’s closest confidants said. “I’m stunned. Even with things the way they are, I could’ve sworn he’d be in Dallas by now. This doesn’t feel good.”

Messiah Iverson, the all-star guard’s 3-year-old daughter, is ill. Iverson is worried sick. His wife, Tawanna, is feeling worse.

“The worst part of it all is that they’re still trying to figure out specifically what’s wrong with her,” Iverson’s confidant said of Messiah’s medical treatment. A source said last night that her condition was worsening.

For all us AI Fans, this is shocking and heart-breaking news. We all did our parts to vote for Allen Iverson in the All-Star game. Unfortunately, no one can fault him for something as important as his family’s well-being.  Nothing is bigger than family, not even the game.  My hearts and prayers go out to Iverson and his family. No matter what the outcome, he has done his part and revived his career in the place that started it all, Philadelphia.   And even if he does hang them up, he will have done it his own way, and with nothing to be ashamed of.

Sources close to Allen Iverson has said that he is expected to start in Sunday’s All-Star game. Iverson has missed the Sixer’s last five games.

Iverson has not played with the Sixers since Jan. 31; he has been excused to be with his daughter, who is ill.

The source also indicated that Iverson would address the media tomorrow in Dallas, the host city of the All-Star Game, and that Iverson intends to return to the Sixers after the all-star break, when they host the Miami Heat on Tuesday.

Stay tuned to this web site on Allen Iverson’s media address tomorrow in Dallas.

Until an NBA official says differently, Allen Iverson is still set to be a starter in this Sunday’s All-Star game in Dallas.

Iverson’s status remained intact as of last night’s Sixers game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, even though he missed his fourth game in succession while attending to his ill daughter. The 76ers announced that Iverson also will miss tonight’s game in Toronto, the team’s final game before the All-Star break, but that he will return Feb. 16 against the Miami Heat in the Wachovia Center.

This will be Iverson’s 11th straight All-Star appearance, and the first by a Sixer since 2006.

“Our understanding is, he will still be an All-Star,” league spokesman Tim Frank said last night in an e-mail.

A source familiar with the Sixers’ situation said Iverson intends to make his All-Star appearance.

Earlier in the week, Sixers coach Eddie Jordan would not address whether Iverson would remain a starter when he rejoins the team; Iverson is averaging 14.7 points, 4.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 22 games since signing Dec. 2 as an unrestricted free agent.

“He’s been great, in the locker room, on the court,” teammate Elton Brand said. “Whatever the big bosses decide, I’m sure he’s going to go with it and come back and help us win games.”

Although Allen Iverson hasn’t played in the past three Sixers game, he hasn’t ruled out playing in Sunday’s All-Star Game if his daughter’s health issues improve this week, a league source said.

Iverson has missed the Philadelphia 76ers’ last three games to be with his 3-year-old daughter in Atlanta, and the team doesn’t have a timetable for his return. Philadelphia plays Minnesota on Tuesday and at Toronto on Wednesday before the All-Star break.

“The situation with his daughter is very serious, very delicate,” the source told Yahoo! Sports. “But he still hopes to play in the All-Star Game regardless to whether he plays in the two games before it.”

Our prayers go out to Allen’s daughter and hopefully we’ll be able to see Allen this weekend.

Allen Iverson has missed a third straight game as he attends to his daughter, who has suffered an illness. Sixers coach Eddie Jordan said there was “no timetable” for Iverson’s return.

“We just hope that his family and his daughter gets better,” Jordan added.

Streaking. Entering last night’s game, the Sixers had won three games in a row for the first time this season.

“It’s a huge deal,” Williams said of the streak. “. . . Three in a row is a huge deal for us.” To get there, the Sixers defeated the New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, and New Orleans Hornets.

Rumors. For much of the season, the Sixers and Rockets have been linked in a trade scenario involving the Sixers’ Andre Iguodala and Houston forward Tracy McGrady.

On the season, McGrady, whose $23 million expiring contract is the bait, has played a total of 46 minutes.

Could there be a possibility that McGrady joins Iverson on the Sixers?

Allen Iverson will sit out a second straight game because one of his children is ill.

Team officials say Allen Iverson will miss Friday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets. He also sat out the 76ers’ overtime win over Chicago on Wednesday. He will be a game-time decision for Saturday’s game at Houston.

Allen Iverson will not play against the Chicago Bulls because one of his children is ill. The team announced the All-Star guard will sit out the home game Wednesday night. He was excused from practice on Tuesday to deal with the issue. He is expected to play Friday at New Orleans.

Iverson has averaged 14.4 points in 25 games since he returned to the Sixers in December. He was voted an Eastern Conference All-Star for the Feb. 14 game.

Allen Iverson and the Sixers snapped their 3-game losing streak with a win over New Jersey Nets on Sunday. The two AI’s held up in the fourth – Andre Iguodala scored 14 points, including seven in a key portion of the third quarter, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to an 83-79 victory over the Nets on Sunday night.
The Nets got within 76-74 with 2:36 remaining, but Iguodala nailed a clutch jumper with 1:28 remaining. Allen Iverson(notes), who had 11 points, made two free throws with 33 seconds to play.