Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  120 responses

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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  • http://www.euroleague.net/competition/all-decade/main-page/i/65216/4259/euroleague-all-decade-candidate-dimitris-diamantidis?lang=en&itemid=65216&mid=4259&tabid=1143&itemname=EUROLEAGU DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS(click on my name)

    @jukaitavoris……:my 4:43 comment is still all you need.

  • robb

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Iverson was a drunk and a gambler, but since Stephen A. Smith was the one who dropped the bomb, well, I don’t think it’s true.

  • http://fdksjlf.com Jukai

    No, not really spanny, but I didn’t expect an actual rebuttal from you anyway.
    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.

  • Boy Sanchez

    Plato was Athenian but he was Greek as well. Just like the people from Sparta, Thiva, Korinthos etc. That’s why they all united to fight the Persians. That’s what I know from my greek education. Congrats to Jukai for his 5:01 comment. Spanny tried to embarrass him about his “lack” of history and Jukai was great again! Really, Jukai, I was impressed! And all Spanny did was to say the same thing twice. He didn’t have a new answer. Plus, no one really cares AT ALL what Plato did in the Olympics… I mean, that comment was so, so irrelevant… And don’t tell me that Rodman was the reason that Bulls had 5 rings. This is at least funny.

  • Jonny C

    wow, first that greek dude says that goran dragic is better than iverson, now he compares him to dennis rodman? i understand if you dont like the guy, but jesus, say something intelligent, and learn how to speak english in the mean time

  • http://www.kb24.com The Seed

    If the world puts you up on a pedastal, the world will bring you down. Who cares if he is a drunk and gambler, this is who Chuck and Jordan are too. Plus AI has always been the on the edge kind of guy, that made him who he is on the bball court. He is a and one player who made it. Give him props he is one of the greatest players to ever play for his size and height. Plus I feel bad for AI, because on TNT people voted Steve Nash over him percentage wise on the player of the decade. Steve Nash got more votes than AI, to me this tells you how far AI has fallen.

  • http://www.sixers.com 360

    Spanny. You’re Greek and you don’t even know Classical Greece yourself. You’re only embarassing yourself. How is Plato not Greek?! So what if the Greeks were fractured into city-states? Any Greek was treated with civility and relative equality when he visited any ‘foreign’ Greek city state. Any non Greek was treated with contempt, ignorance and hatred. The concept of being Greek was already nearly half a millenia old at Plato’s birth, being mentioned in varying sources. You’re just being a pedantic tool because you can’t even stick to the topic of basketball. Relatively, it’s literally like you trying to argue Kobe is not American, but in fact a Philadelphian.

  • don

    get well AI. i’m still a believer, and yes, i’m getting your A13 shoes, they might be the last AI to drop,but you’re still my man!

  • backboard

    i gotta ask, what is the Illness of AI´s daughter? I mean, is it something that no other human being in all of history had? Or does he just not want to say?

  • http://www.slamonline.com melvin ely

    @360: and here I thought Kobe was a Philanderer.
    Zing!

  • http://PROTEGEMVP.COM DALLAS STOKES

    He’s not a alcoholic, he just drinks to much when he gambles. Who cares I personally dont like or get along with the dude. Honestly as one of the greatest players ever to play the game, remember he is human. Pray for him and his family and hope he as a man gets better. If you dont know him or ever been around him outside an arena you can do nothing more.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Pardeep

    Ill tell you all why Spanny hates AI. AI and his homeboys walked into a restaurant at the 04 Olympics in Athens. Spanny was sitting there wondering what the Du-rag is? and why Iverson’s shorts are so low? he saw tattoos and got scared and Iverson’s baggy shirt had a picture of Tupac raising the middle finger. AI gave Spanny and his buddies a dirty look because they kept staring . AI must have cracked a joke about one of them or Spanny confronted him and got dissed. Spanny hates AI and he hates hip-hop. Spanny also doesn’t know much about basketball because he compared AI and Rodman. Some other guy said AI shouldn’t make the Hall Of Fame. OMG! Dude is top 5 SG all time probably and top 30 all-time players. One bad season in Detroit and a sad ending in Philly doesn’t mean he didn’t have a legendary career. Hope AI gets through these hard times gets a trainer gets his explosion back and wins a ring with a contender then gives the league a middle finger.

  • http://Www.twitter.com Darksaber

    @Spanny: see? You throw out all that AI ridicule, and some of the “kids” (yeah, whats that about, not everyone here is a teen) are gonna hammer you when you try and make more serious points. Retire the kournikova of b-ball thing, buddy. And thanks for the memory trip, Allenp. Couldn’t quite remember why our greek friend hates the “cartoons” so much.

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  • T-Money

    i have no problem with what stephen a. wrote. he hasn’t been known to make up stories like vescey. some find him annoying but i don’t recall people questioning the veracity of his stories. ai’s life doesn’t seem to be going down the right path, i think it’s plain to see.

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  • MikeC.

    Tariq Posted: Mar.9 at 2:07 pm
    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.

  • MikeC.

    1) Jordan 2) Kobe 3) Jesus Shuttlesworth 4) Wade 5) Clyde the Glide. That’s just a quick 5 off the top of my head. I didn’t rank them in order of greatness, just 5 that had better careers than Iverson. That’s without getting into guys I never saw play like Jerry West, George Gervin, or even under-hyped guys like Joe Dumars. Iverson was/is a heck of a player, but there are better players than Iverson waiting on a call from the Hall. AI could still come back and re-write his legacy by being an instant offense combo-guard off the bench for a contender. Winning tends to erase a lot of bad memories.

  • OTSS

    Haters stay on ya grind!!!

  • Scottie Pimpin

    Steven A. Smith layed the smack down on all you b**ch *ss n****es, you can tell Steven A has alot of brotherly love for the Answer. good work Steven A.

    and to Iverson, hang in there , dont turn to alcohol for support, turn to Ganja leaf, Hall of Fame baby, we did it !!!!!

  • Micahel Scorn

    If Iverson is proud of being the most loved AND hated player in the NBA, why do his supporters complain about him having haters? Can’t have it both ways.

  • Jonny C

    its one thing for the guy to have haters, i understand that theres two sides to every story, and some people dont care for his style of play. how anyone could try and argue his skill level and quality of play is beyond me. his stats speak for itself, even if you dont think hes a top 20 alltime player (and i DO think he is a top 20 all-time), i dont understand how you can argue that hes not a great player at least of our generation. and spanny, i find him amusing most of the time, but when he goes and says dumb things like we all kids (i’m 24), and that goran dragic is better than iverson, and plato aint greek, he makes himself go from amusing to annoying

  • http://fdksjlf.com Jukai

    MikeC: I agree he’s not top five, but… Ray Allen and Joe Dumars…? Ehhhhh…

  • Weapon X

    The Answer!

  • http://www.slamonline.com Jaay

    ARE YOU KIDDING ME ALLEN IVERSON NOT TOP 5 SG EVER? NOT TOP 25 EVER? just look at this: http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob_career.html

  • http://www.slamonline.com Jaay

    @Mike C: D-Wade and Ray Allen have not had better careers than Allen Iverson. Let me tell you how many things AI has done in his career and there are only 3 guys actively that have done more and even LeBron hasn’t accomplished more. 97 ROY, 11 time All-Star, 2 time All-Star game MVP 7 time All-NBA despite bad team records, 24,368 points over 5,500 assists, 27.0 ppg for his career and 6.2 apg, 4 Scoring titles and the 2001 NBA MVP. Most people talking about Iverson’s career don’t know that statistically he is the best player since Michael Jordan and pound for pound is the greatest ever. Top 25 All-Time.

  • Bryan

    Iverson: Class Act

  • http://www.euroleague.net/competition/all-decade/main-page/i/65216/4259/euroleague-all-decade-candidate-dimitris-diamantidis?lang=en&itemid=65216&mid=4259&tabid=1143&itemname=EUROLEAGU DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS(click on my name)

    @360,jukaitavoris,boysachez,Dark……:before you go on and ridicule yourself with your history misconceptions why don’t you start by googling a bit the word ‘greek’…? Then you go to a serious dictionary (not online ones), and only then you go a serious historian of the ‘greek’ history to explain you more…at the same time and judging on your take on much easier sublrcts (bball) i never expected more from your historic perspectives…it was really entairtaining except the case of boysanchez who should know better (but he is young and modern greek education sucks…).

  • ngoiekafita

    Lol @ Rodman’s numbers were WAY more efficient.
    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.

  • http://Www.twitter.com Darksaber

    *sigh*, last time i’m ever trying to reason with you, Antonis/Spanny. It’s obvious you enjoy the ridicule/drama connected with your comments. I’ll just steer clear of AI/Marbury posts in the future. As you were, soldier.

  • http://hoopistani.blogspot.com Hoopistani

    To the media: Leave AI alone!!! The guy has enough on his plate already to get critisized by the media every single day. It is justifiable if the criticisms come for his on-court play, but can we at least at him breathe through the alcohol/gambling/divorce/daughter situation?

  • http://www.euroleague.net/competition/all-decade/main-page/i/65216/4259/euroleague-all-decade-candidate-dimitris-diamantidis?lang=en&itemid=65216&mid=4259&tabid=1143&itemname=EUROLEAGU DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS(click on my name)

    @Dark…..:of course i enjoy it( some of the responses are truly hilarious) if i was feared to be commented on i would have never post anything. Most of the responses here (i mean their background concept) can be (not so)easily explained psychosociologically. But i would prefer not to go there.I mean, if my kids historical knowledge is so weak, imagine what will happen on other subjects (that have never been made movies/videogames).

  • RedRum

    Steven A is a little b**ch for calling out his friend publicly. Shameless what a journalist will do to get a story out… really sad… and I don’t like AI, but come on Steve A… come on..

  • http://fdksjlf.com Jukai

    Hahahahahaha, Spanny is still trying, the joke continues.

  • http://fdksjlf.com Jukai

    Yeah, I just asked my brother, a history major at UVM. Incredible how he couldn’t even figure out what Spanny was going on about.

  • http://www.euroleague.net/competition/all-decade/main-page/i/65216/4259/euroleague-all-decade-candidate-dimitris-diamantidis?lang=en&itemid=65216&mid=4259&tabid=1143&itemname=EUROLEAGU DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS(click on my name)

    @jukaitavoris…..:i was a history major more than 20 years ago. I know my english ain’t that good but when i say “a serious historian of the ‘greek’ history” i ain’t thinking about your big brother (or me 20 years ago). Anyway keep posting.

  • MoNiQuE

    Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see

  • MikeC.

    @Jukai – I was just throwing out some names that had nicer careers than AI. They may not have scored as many points, but both Jesus and Joe D were major contributors/leaders on championship teams. Joe D was a Finals MVP and the best defensive 2 of his era, and Jesus has the defining jumpshot of his era, while hitting huge bucket after huge bucket for the Celtics the last 2 years in the playoffs. Everybody knows all this, and it just comes down to being an opinion-dealie.

  • http://www.sixers.com 360

    @Spanny. “before you go on and ridicule yourself with your history misconceptions”… why dont you stop writing. I’ve majored in Ancient History and minored in Philosophy so dont tell me to go google anything about Plato or the Greeks, and don’t make arguments out of nothing. Ask any professor or scholar and they reply Plato was Athenian because they want to be particular and haughty. However, don’t make up ish over nothing; i.e. when someone calls Plato Greek. Read some classical sources like Platp himself, or Thucydides, or Aristotle, Polybius, Herodotus, Diodorus…. etc. on the concept of being Greek. Simply put, you diverted the tangent of the topic because you can’t even capably debate anything basketball related outside of Europe.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Perhaps Spanny should take some refresher/night/on-line/post graduate/summer school/cram classes regarding the history of the NBA and it’s players as WELL as the history of his country. Post a copy of a qualifying certificate on here before you marginalize the comment section again this season. At least wait until the season ends, so that the “kids” will be out of school and can respond to you accordingly.

  • http://www.euroleague.net/competition/all-decade/main-page/i/65216/4259/euroleague-all-decade-candidate-dimitris-diamantidis?lang=en&itemid=65216&mid=4259&tabid=1143&itemname=EUROLEAGU DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS(click on my name)

    @360…..: 1)it is not cause “…they want to be particular and haughty….” my little one, it is just that this is (was,will for ever be) the truth. 2)now that you figured out (it is never too late),please, go and help jukaitavoris’ big brother at the UVM (!!!!!).

  • FoCo

    Is this the guy we want all the “lil dudes” lookin up to though? I think not.

    (side note: does nobody think its a bit presumptuous to tell the Greek dude Greek history)

  • http://www.euroleague.net/competition/all-decade/main-page/i/65216/4259/euroleague-all-decade-candidate-dimitris-diamantidis?lang=en&itemid=65216&mid=4259&tabid=1143&itemname=EUROLEAGU DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS(click on my name)

    @all my kids….:PLEASE do not read FoCo’s 10:47 am (or i’ll lose all the fun/laugh). Keep posting your ‘briliant’ views on the subject !!!

  • http://www.sixers.com 360vue

    @FoCO. Err you are missing the point. Spanny is right saying Plato is Athenian, thats not in dispute. What is disputable is the bullsh!t manner he makes snide, pointless comments. Jukai was correct in stating Plato was Greek. It’s not specific but it’s also not pedantic, and let’s not forget this is a ball forum. Let’s make a guess and say you’re American, you’re also a human, you’re also a mammal, you’re also a two-legged creature (more likely than not). Just because Plato was Athenian does not mean he was not also Greek. There was irrefutably no need for Spanny to be a tool over Jukai’s comment. He just can’t debate basketball so he chats ish and you’re comments just extend his delusion of self-importance.

  • The Philosopher

    Allen Iverson needs a hug. Needs to get away from the spotlight for a while.

  • Rikson

    Cant critisize someone, who hasnt done ish! Plus, all this athletes make truckloads of money not for playing alone… Its also a way to compensate that they are public persons once arrived in the league! AI is no exception.. Everytime public persons do ish the media will report – business as usual. They are not targeting AI – that’s just stupid.

    It’s time for him to realize this or stop playing!

  • FoCo

    The point I was intending to make here is that maybe, just maybe the accepted view on the subject that is taught here in the US differs from the accepted view held in actual Greece. I don’t know that it is…he could be just blowing smoke but I’m not going presume to correct him on it.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ Tariqُُ

    Spanny is the Anna Kournikova of commenting. Spanna Kournikova.

  • http://shawn-kemps-offspring.blogspot.com/ Tariqُُ

    FoCo: I’m from Saudi Arabia. I also went to graduate school in England and one of my roommates was Greek. Spanna Kournikova (I hope I’m spelling her name right) is just being argumentative.

  • MikeC.

    @Jaay – Dwyane Wade 1 ring. Iverson 0. The career scoring is impressive. The MVP is impressive. All-Star MVPs are irrelevant. I just think winning is the most important thing in sports.
    AI is a fringe HOFer like Reggie Miller.

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