Allen Iverson Responds to Alcohol, Gambling Allegations
by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni
Longtime Philadelphia columnist Stephen A. Smith of the Inquirer dropped something of a bombshell this weekend, essentially claiming that (according to his sources), Allen Iverson is more or less an alcoholic, with gambling issues to boot.
Given A.I.’s well-chronicled love of the nightlife (and casinos in particular), this was not exactly a shocking revelation.
With everything that’s been happening in his life of late — the loss of his job as an NBA player, the divorce filed by his wife, and the illness of his daughter — Iverson felt compelled to issue some kind of statement.
He did late last night, via the Twitter machine:
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. However, I will stand tall like always with “rhino” thick skin.
Even though I have become used to hearing people say things about me that aren’t true, it still hurts. 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. God Bless You All.
Hours after the tweets were posted, I read a couple of misguided pieces on the web, in which the authors complained that Iverson chose to respond via Twitter, as though he somehow owes the world a larger explanation for what he’s currently going through.
Allen Iverson’s problems — whether they’re as serious as the media claims, or whether some things that have been written and said about him are untrue as he claims — are his, and his alone. What he chooses to share with the outside world isn’t really for us to critique.
One can only hope he eventually pulls through.
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Hopefully his daughter recovers. And I’m done.
Spanny already admitted that when AI was in college he was Iverson’s biggest fan. He loved his game and thought AI would transform the league.
He became disenchanted with Iverosn’s performance in the League and has been on a campaign to tell the world of his chicanery ever since.
Personally, I think Iverson didn’t take advantage of his full potential, but he still had a helluva a career, and showed some improvement over the years.
Sadly, his off-the-court life has caught up with him. I hope he manages to pull-through, but things look bleak.
I’m just constantly amazed at how much hatred folks have for a random professional basketball player. That is really amazing to me, and I actually love basketball.
You misunderstood me, Spanny. I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. I said I can’t believe that you and Plato are both Greek. That should be the argument to end racism right there.
Are you for real? Are you seriously saying that Barkley deserves HOF recognition in part because of his work on TNT?
1) Iverson is a HOFer and one of the top-10 best shooting guards of all time (a list in which no European player makes)
2) I’m not going to use Iversons’ addictions as a crutch for his behavior, but it is sad, and the dude DOES need help. There are too many sources reporting Iverson’s problems for Smith’s article NOT to be true… and I’m worried that this twitter is proof that Iverson’s still in denial. That ain’t good. Iverson still does a LOT of good with his money, and I don’t want to see the dude squander it all away on booze and alcohol; he deserves way better than that.
Did Spanny just try and compare AI to Dennis Rodman? Christ…
Plato was (most probably) born and lived most of his life in Athens. The city of Athens during the classical period of Ancient Greece, was a city state of Attica, Greece. You should know about Athens today, since it is the CAPITAL OF F*CKING GREECE.
If you’re trying to suggest that in during the time of Plato, Greece was divided into a large group of city-states and Athens can’t be considered “Greece”, then you’re going to have to explain to me which city-state your middle school teacher just told you was the ‘real greece’ because Classical Greek History over here is taught mostly from the perspective of the ATHENIANS because they had the richest culture. If you’re going to try and tell me that Greece didn’t exist back then, then your statement about Plato ‘punching me out because I called him Greek’ doesn’t make a lick of sense.
If there is some sort of radically different history teachings over there, centering on how Classical Greece centered around a different area, please tell me now. Greece was unified because it was conquered by outside forces, unless you’re telling me that Macedon was the true Greece because it took over the majority of the city states at the end of what is considered classical greece.
Oh no, I just went tit for tat with you. It’s too bad you’re too scared to go tit for tat with me on the Rodman thing because whenever we debate basketball, I embarrass you.
Is Stephen A. Smith really been known to embellish the truth? That’s an honest question, I don’t usually follow him so I don’t really know.
Zing!
MikeC:
Are you for real? Are you seriously saying that Barkley deserves HOF recognition in part because of his work on TNT? I was just alluding to a peculiar section that the HOF actually has. People can make the hall that never actually played the game at a high level. Ex. Dick Vitale made the hall as a contributor. Barkley could easily make it as a contributor even if he’d never played in the NBA, or won Olympic gold medals. My point about Iverson maybe not being a hall of famer has to do with the fact that he really hasn’t won much. He put up eye-popping numbers for a few years, but the 2001 season was really the only year that he won big-time, still getting erased by the Laker juggernaut. I’m on the fence with Iverson based on the fact that he didn’t win at any level. It’s the same argument I have for Ewing(and I loved Ewing’s game). He didn’t win enough in the pros to be considered a hall of fame NBA player. Ewing belongs in the hall since he won multiple Olympic golds and a NCAA championship. Iverson can’t claim that. To anyone saying Iverson is a top-5 SG of all time needs to relax a bit. Dude was pretty good, maybe top-10, but no way top-5.
Not to bash on The Worm his digits but we’re talking ’bout Iverson here! If Jordan or Pip were down, what would Rodders do? Would he take on the scoringload? Just imagine if Pip and Jordan weren’t on the squad that played the Reignman & Glove team.Yup, that would have been an ugly game for tha bulls(you also know what happens if you let Dennis and Brickowski alone)His numbers don’t tell the whole story. Iverson’s did.
Meaning he carried his team to the finals, a team starring (not quite stars if you get what i mean) Aaron Mckie, Theo Ratliff, Jumaine Jones, Eric Snow and co vs Shaq, Kobe, DFish, Horry, c’mon! Philly was outclassed on the talent department but they fought with heart and Allen had the biggest, always finding a way to get it done for his squad. He was and remains the lil dude that every lil dude that will set foot on that NBA logo one day looks up to. Styles P said it best: point blank.
AI is a fringe HOFer like Reggie Miller.
Winning IS important. But I equate “winning” with having post-season success. That’s why I see a guy like Jason Kidd as having “won,” while Nash hasn’t. Kidd has won in the playoffs. He has reached the Finals. The fact that he hasn’t actually won a ring doesn’t mean he’s a “fringe” HOF. Kidd is a LOCK. So is Iverson. Nash is a “fringe” HOFer for precisely the reason you mentioned.
After all, he said ‘if you called Plato Greek, he’d punch you’ but GREECE DiDN’T EXIST BACK THEN!!!!!
He’s just an idiot 360vue. He’s making up being a history major too. I think he was a basketball coach or something five months ago. This is what Spanny does. I just thought it was funny calling him out for it.
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