Allen Iverson Live

Even the NBA commissioner has expressed concern for Allen Iverson, reaching out to him on Monday to make sure everything was alright. This is according to Iverson’s business manager, Gary Moore. Stern telephoned Moore Monday and asked how Iverson was coping with the myriad problems that have come his way. Moore said the two spoke for about 10 minutes and he assured the commissioner Iverson is doing fine.

“David was genuinely concerned for Allen,” Moore said. “He asked about his daughter and his wife. He said that if Allen needed him he knows how to get him.”

“Allen’s personal life is at the top of his agenda right now and no thoughts about basketball will enter into his mind or thought process until he’s satisfied that his personal life is in order. Basketball’s not high on his list of priorities right now.”

Thompson, Iverson’s coach for two years at Georgetown, spoke with Iverson on March 7, the same day the Inquirer report suggested Thompson reach out to him.

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.

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.