Allen Iverson Live

Allen Iverson is going some pretty tough times right now. As he said himself on Twitter, “You all know that my life isn’t perfect”.  A new documentary by ESPN depicts another tough time early in his life.

On Valentine’s Day 1993, 17-year-old Bethel High School basketball star Allen Iverson was bowling in Hampton, Va., with five high school friends. It was supposed to be an ordinary evening, but it became a night that defined Iverson’s young life. A quarrel soon erupted into a brawl pitting Iverson’s young black friends against a group of white patrons. The fallout from the fight and the handling of the subsequent trial landed the teenager—considered by some the nation’s best high school athlete—in jail and sharply divided the city along racial lines. Oscar nominee Steve James (“Hoop Dreams”) returns to his hometown of Hampton, where he once played basketball, to take a personal look at this still-disputed incident and examine its impact on Iverson and the shared community.

Premieres Tuesday Apr 13 8PM ESPN,

Check out the amazing trailer…

It’s easy to forget about all the positive things a person has accomplished during times of negative events. Today’s links focuses on reminding us all the incredible accomplishments that Allen Iverson has achieved so far during his career (I say that optimistically hoping that he will return).

The following piece talks about how Allen Iverson needed a championship, something that would have probably helped him avoid the personal problem’s he’s facing:

No matter what happens in his personal life Allen Iverson will go down as one of the greatest basketball players to ever play and arguably is pound for pound the best player to ever play the game he had a legendary career and is the best small player the league has ever seen.

If Iverson won a championship he would be viewed differently as a player and person. He would still be on a NBA team and would probably be the 1st or 2nd option like he should be. He wouldn’t lose love for the game and wouldn’t have gambling and drinking problems. He would have done it all and could have retired anytime and it would be a happy ending because he would walk away from the game having done it all.

This article titled The Answer? Brotherly Love: Standing By Allen Iverson When It Counts also outlines his accomplishments and a message to those who are quick to judge:

The next time you find yourself quick to judge a man that you don’t know beyond the basketball court– think about how you would answer those questions.  Think about the player who stood at center court holding an All-Star MVP trophy and asking for his coach.  Think about the player who sat at the podium with his children falling asleep at his chest after leading his team during the 2001 playoffs.  Think about the player who started the CrossOver Foundation and numerous charity events to empower the dreams of the youth.  Think about the player who created the Allen Iverson Scholarship Endowment to support the success of underprivileged student athletes.  Think about the player who walked to center court and kissed the Sixers logo on the hardwood upon his return to Philadelphia.  Think about the basketball player that you do know.

Stephen A Smith has written a follow-up article after his controversial report on Allen Iverson’s drinking and gambling problems.  He claims that it has been a difficult week, where he has received a beatdown from Allen Iverson’s supporters:

I’ve been vilified and excoriated, called a turncoat and a sellout, unworthy of so much as a handshake from several members of Iverson’s former team, the 76ers – the last people in need of more adversaries.

Smith goes on to say:

The truth is, I deserve it. Despite the objectivity exercised while disseminating the news, it’s impossible to be completely impartial about someone you’ve known for 14 years and are incredibly fond of despite the innumerable mistakes he’s made.

No one said Iverson is an alcoholic or a gambling addict. What was reported was that he’s drinking and gambling too much, enough to concern quite a few people in the NBA.

Saying what needed to be said is something I don’t regret. The truth hurts sometimes, particularly when it involves someone at a low point in their life. Electing to stand alone, however, while a bevy of individuals – former teammates, locker room personnel, team executives, hangers-on, and his business manager – stand around in silence was perhaps the most questionable decision of all.

Smith’s first article was over the top, almost implying that Iverson was an alcoholic or gambling addict.  But this had no basis whatsover.

Ultimately, Allen’s personal problems can only be solved by one man — himself.  Let’s all hope that Iverson finds himself and turns his career and life around.

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 Philadelphia 76ers have officially announced that Allen Iverson will not return for the rest of the season. As you all know by now, Iverson has mostly been absent from the team 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.

Here’s what team president Ed Stefanski said,

“After discussing the situation with Allen, we have come to the conclusion that he will not return to the Sixers for the remainder of the season, as he no longer wishes to be a distraction to the organization and teammates that he loves very deeply.”

“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.”

The 34-year-old Iverson made a tearful return to Philadelphia eager to prove he wasn’t finished after disastrous stints in Detroit and Memphis. He returned to a sold-out crowd dotted with No. 3 jerseys, and showed flashes of his former playmaking self when he ruled the NBA as one of the best guards around. He scored at least 20 points six times—including a 23-point effort in a game against the Lakers that turned into a throwback 1-on-1 duel vs. Kobe Bryant.

Iverson said at a Feb. 15 practice that it was emotionally draining to leave his family to play basketball.

“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).”

Today is a sad day for Allen Iverson fans.  We all had hope that Allen would eventually return to the Sixers.  Unfortunately, his family is taking precedence.  Hopefully though, there is still a ray of hope that Iverson will return to the NBA in the future.

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.

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.