Allen Iverson Live

Support from all corners of the world has been pouring in for Allen Iverson.  As Scoop Jackson wrote on ESPN, Allen Iverson just needs a place to land.  The unthinkable incidents seem to all happen at once for Iverson – his daughter gets seriously ill, the Sixers announce his departure, his wife files for divorce, Stephen A Smith writes about his alcohol and gambling problems…

Larry Brown has spoken out, and he believes that Allen Iverson will return.

Maybe he’ll never play again at the level I saw him play at, but I think he can still help somebody,” Brown said. Even if Iverson does seek to return, the question remains whether a team is willing to take him on.

Mar. 11 – 8:07 am et.  Source: Charlotte Observer

According to one source, guys around the league are pissed at Steven A. Smith right now for his most recent column on Allen Iverson.

Guys around the league are pissed at Stephen A. Smith right now for his most recent column on Allen Iverson, the one in which he claimed Allen is going to drink and/or gamble his life away. One of my NBA friends in Philly says a bunch of Sixers can’t wait for Stephen A. to show up in their locker room so they can have words with him.

Carmelo Anthony, who was a close teammate of Allen Iverson during his stint in Denver, has spoken out about the recent news about Allen Iverson’s reported personal problems. He said never observed such behavior when the two were teammates for two years on the Denver Nuggets.

“No, man. I haven’t seen any of that,” Anthony, Iverson’s teammate on the Nuggets from December 2006 to November 2008, said Tuesday after Denver’s practice. “When I hear stuff like that, I just be wondering, ‘Where is it coming from?’ I want to hear it from him. So I’m pretty sure in a couple days I’ll get him on the phone and talk to him.”

Anthony, who called Iverson “one of my close friends,” has kept in touch regularly with Iverson since he was traded from the Nuggets 1 1/2 years ago. But Anthony said he hasn’t talked with Iverson for a few weeks, wanting to give him some space as he left the 76ers due to his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah, battling an undetermined illness.

“I don’t want to see nobody … go through what he’s going through,” said Anthony, who last spoke to Iverson when his family issues first surfaced last month. “I know he’s had his issues out there in Philly whether he was playing, whether he was hurt or whether he had to deal with family issues. Having to deal with family issues is one thing, but having to deal with all the other stuff that is going on … Nobody wants to deal with that stuff … I wish he could just deal with his family issues, and then that would be it.”

“I hope so,” said Anthony about Iverson again playing in the NBA. “I don’t think as far as his game he’s done. But I really don’t know. I really don’t know where his mind is right now. I’m pretty sure he’s not thinking about basketball right now.”

Allen Iverson has broken his silence over recent problems that he has been facing. Iverson posted four messages Monday night on his Twitter account telling fans he expected to overcome the most recent obstacles in his life.

“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,” Iverson wrote. “However, I will stand tall like always with ‘rhino’ thick skin.”

Iverson had been mostly absent from the 76ers for a month, returning to Atlanta to be with his family as they deal with an undisclosed illness of his 4-year-old daughter, Messiah. Iverson and the Sixers decided last Tuesday he would not return for the rest of the season.

Allen Iverson said on Twitter it hurt to hear stories about his personal life that aren’t true.

“Even though I have become used to hearing people say things about me that aren’t true, it still hurts,” Iverson wrote. “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.”

This is definitely a good sign. Hopefully, those stories are not true and that Iverson will truly overcome his personal problems. AI, our prayers are with you.

Allen Iverson is reportedly battling alcohol and gambling problems. These reports come at one of the most difficult times in Iverson’s career and personal life. Stephen A Smith reports that Iverson is consumed with both drinking and gambling, two addictions that are tearing his life apart.

Smith wrote: “If numerous NBA sources are telling the truth—and there’s no reason to believe they’d do otherwise in a situation of this magnitude—Iverson will either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away.”

Smith continues by calling those close to him to give some tough love and turn his life around.

As an AI fan for through the years, it pains me to hear the problems that Allen is facing. All we can do as fans is pray and hope that he can defeat his own personal demons.

In a shocking turn of events, Allen Iverson’s wife, Tawanna Iverson, has filed for divorce. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tawanna filed papers Tuesday, saying that the 8 1/2-year marriage is “irretrievably broken.” The couple has five children, aged 17 months to 15 years.  In the petition, Tawanna Iverson asked for temporary and permanent custody of their five children as well as child support and alimony.”

Allen Iverson had recently moved to Atlanta, Georgia and away from his NBA career in February 2010 to be with his sick 4-year-old.

In a posting on Twitter, Allen Iverson wrote: “I need to be there to hold my little girl’s hand and encourage her to get better. I wanted her to wake up every morning and see her Daddy’s face, at least until she got better. Through God’s Strength, She Will Keep Getting Better!”

“It has been very difficult for Allen and the team to maintain any consistency as he tries to balance his career with his personal life,” 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski said Tuesday.

It has truly been a tough times for Allen Iverson.  Nobody wishes these kind of personal issues on anyone.  It’s to no surprise that basketball was not at the forefront of Allen’s mind during the last few weeks.  As fans of Allen Iverson, we can just hope for the best and hope he gets through these difficult times.

The hot topic question of the Sixers these days is Will Allen Iverson return to the Sixers? Tonight’s game against the Orlando Magic at the Wachovia Center had been considered a target date for his return. Iverson, however, did not attend yesterday’s practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

It is unclear when or even if he will return to a Sixers team that is struggling at 22-36. Last week, Iverson left the team for the second time this season to be with his 4-year-old daughter, who is suffering an undisclosed illness.

“I’m sure we will have some discussions in the next day or two about it,” Sixers coach Eddie Jordan said yesterday of Iverson’s status with the team. “Maybe I will talk to [Sixers general manager] Ed [Stefanski] a little bit today and certainly tomorrow while we are in the office.”

Jordan said Stefanski has talked with Iverson, the player’s business manager, and Leon Rose, Iverson’s agent.

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.

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 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.

It was a throwback duel between Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant and the fans got what they paid to see. Too bad it was just like in the 2001 NBA finals, where Bryant’s Lakers topped Allen Iverson’s 76ers.

Allen Iverson had a season high 23 points, while Bryant roused the 20,000 fans who came to jeer him as much as they did to root on the 76ers, scoring 24 points to lead Los Angeles to a 99-91 win over Philadelphia on Friday night.

Iverson and Bryant are responsible for Philadelphia’s only two sellouts this season. Iverson’s first game back in Philadelphia drew 20,664, and Bryant helped draw 20,809 on Friday.

Iverson showed a glimpse of his former MVP self when he crossed-over Derek Fisher(notes) and tossed up a running bank shot as his 6-foot frame slammed onto the unforgiving court. He sank the free throw to complete the three-point play that was vintage Iverson and make it 68-63.

Bryant made the call to guard Iverson at the end of the quarter for a brief 1-on-1 matchup between 3 and 24.

“He’s a scorer, he and I both,” Bryant said. “That’s what we do. We can score when we’re 70 years old.”

“I just got it going a little bit,” Iverson said.

Iverson scored 15 points on 6 for 7 shooting in the third to top Bryant’s 5 of 7, 14-point quarter. Iverson and Bryant each made 10 baskets in the game from the floor.

“That’s what Allen can do,” Phil Jackson said. “I don’t know if he can do it for 48, but he can still do that.”

Iverson insisted he was so focused on trying to win the game, he didn’t get caught up trying to outshine Bryant. He also refused to draw parallels between his career with Bryant’s.

“It’s evident that he is one of the best ever to do it,” Iverson said. “He goes out there night in and night out and plays the same way every night.”