Allen Iverson Live

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.

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.

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

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.