Issue Date: 3/15/10
Allen Iverson is his own worst enemy 
A word to all young people out there, years of hard living will eventually catch up to you. You cannot be young forever. Basketball player Allen Iverson is finding that out right now. His body looks beat up and his play is faltering and now people close to him are saying he needs some serious help.
Iverson's wife, Tawanna has been separated from him for eight months and recently filed for divorce. He has indulged in drinking and gambling to overcome his guilt. This is not the Iverson that we all saw at Georgetown University with John Thompson II.
Thompson coached the Georgetown University basketball team for 27 years. Near the end of his tenure, Ann Iverson begged Thompson almost in tears to take a chance on her son.
Her message was simply, "My son just needs some guidance from a strong male figure."
Thompson knew of the dangers of living life too hard. In his office is a deflated basketball on his desk with a symbolic message. "One day the ball isn't going to bounce any more, and then what? One day there's going to have to be a second act."
Allen Iverson starred at Georgetown from 1994-1996 before he became the first person in the Thompson coaching era to skip school to enter the National Basketball Association draft, where he was taken with the first overall pick.
For 14 seasons, Iverson's motto has been, "I play every game as if it's my last." He has wowed fans and players alike with this attitude on the court. Off the court, he has lived the same way, which isn't good.
Since he has been in the NBA, Iverson has been known for late night parties, drinking and gambling. The latter has led to him being banned from several casinos in Atlantic City and Detroit.
In short, his off-the-court activities have minimized his growth on the court. His coaches have never cared about this because it has never interfered with his performance --- until now.
With his playing career pretty much over, Iverson is now jeopardizing his life after basketball. Just because you overcome hardship and make something of yourself doesn't mean you will stay there. Iverson should have taken care of himself and his family to assure that they would not go back to the poverty from which they escaped. Now it seems as if Iverson is headed back that way.
Iverson's wife, Tawanna has been separated from him for eight months and recently filed for divorce. He has indulged in drinking and gambling to overcome his guilt. This is not the Iverson that we all saw at Georgetown University with John Thompson II.
Thompson coached the Georgetown University basketball team for 27 years. Near the end of his tenure, Ann Iverson begged Thompson almost in tears to take a chance on her son.
Her message was simply, "My son just needs some guidance from a strong male figure."
Thompson knew of the dangers of living life too hard. In his office is a deflated basketball on his desk with a symbolic message. "One day the ball isn't going to bounce any more, and then what? One day there's going to have to be a second act."
Allen Iverson starred at Georgetown from 1994-1996 before he became the first person in the Thompson coaching era to skip school to enter the National Basketball Association draft, where he was taken with the first overall pick.
For 14 seasons, Iverson's motto has been, "I play every game as if it's my last." He has wowed fans and players alike with this attitude on the court. Off the court, he has lived the same way, which isn't good.
Since he has been in the NBA, Iverson has been known for late night parties, drinking and gambling. The latter has led to him being banned from several casinos in Atlantic City and Detroit.
In short, his off-the-court activities have minimized his growth on the court. His coaches have never cared about this because it has never interfered with his performance --- until now.
With his playing career pretty much over, Iverson is now jeopardizing his life after basketball. Just because you overcome hardship and make something of yourself doesn't mean you will stay there. Iverson should have taken care of himself and his family to assure that they would not go back to the poverty from which they escaped. Now it seems as if Iverson is headed back that way.
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ARNIE WEXLER
posted 3/18/10 @ 5:33 AM PST
When Will the N.B.A. Confront the Gambling Problems of Its Own Athletes? Boynton Beach, FL Monday, March 08, 2010
Multiple NBA sources say Allen Iverson is facing alcohol and gambling issues that have derailed his career and threaten his post-basketball well-being,
Ten years ago, as a compulsive-gamblers counselor, I was asked to fly to N. (Continued…)
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