It has been a rough twelve months for Allen Iverson.
He gets traded from a playoff team in Denver to Detroit, pouts about possibly coming off the bench and ends up sitting out the majority of the last part of the season with a “mysterious injury”.
He signs with the Memphis Grizzles, a decision that everyone thought would fail and lasts only three games after complaining about playing time and coming off the bench..
Then there was the “fake retirement” that lasted about a week.
There was the happy hometown reunion with the Philadelphia 76ers who was the only team interested in signing him. Of course that only lasted about a month before he left the team.
His daughter became ill with a mysterious illness.
He was caught popping bottles in Charlotte when most people thought he should be with his kid.
The Sixers then said he wouldn’t be returning to the team.
Now this, his wife of eight years Tawanna has officially filed for divorce. Here are the details from AJC.com
In the divorce petition filed on Tuesday, Tawanna Iverson said her 8 ½-year-long marriage to the guard was “irretrievably broken.” In the petition, Tawanna Iverson asked for temporary and permanent custody of their five children as well as child support and alimony.
She did not ask for a specific dollar amount.
The children range in ages from 17 months to 15 years.
I have witnessed some bad endings to athletes’ careers but this maybe the worst ever. I actually feel bad for him, it isn’t quite a Tiger Woods type crash, but it has been a slow decline and unlike Tiger who will golf again someday, Iverson’s career is probably over.
No one knows what was the final straw in the marriage (I’m sure someone knows), but it seems odd to file for divorce while dealing with a sick child.
All I can say A.I. is keep ya head up.
Sidebar
One of the most classic lines of all time is when A.I.’s mom gets confronted by some reporters and says this:
