While personal issues have forced Allen Iverson to take off the remainder of the current NBA season, a new report indicates that more may be going on behind the scenes with the once-unstoppable NBA superstar.
In a recent column, published by thePhiladelphia Inquirer and penned former ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, some of Iverson's trainwreck personal life is revealed ... and it seems as though he's headed down a path to self-destruction.
In addition to his wife Tawana filing for divorce last week -- in which she's seeking full custody of their five children, child support and alimony -- Smith says Iverson also has a major alcohol and gambling problems.
His gambling problems are pretty serious too. So far, he's been banned from multiple casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City. It's so bad, Smith says multiple sources close to the NBA superstar says he'll "either drink himself into oblivion or gamble his life away."
The column suggests that if Iverson's inner circle doesn't so something soon, his post-basketball well-being may be in jeopardy.
The revelations seem to echo Twitter messages the NBA star posted on Twitter Monday night (March 8), where in multiple tweets, he admitted to going through "rough times."
"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."
As he continued tweeting, he did, however, indirectly deny Smith's claims, or at least some of the speculation surrounding the column.
"Even though I have become used to hearing people say things about me that aren't true, it still hurts," he 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. God Bless You All."
In Smith's column, he suggests that A.I. is in need of someone with "the ideal combination of compassion and toughness" in his life. That is John Thompson, Iverson's former college coach at Georgetown, former Temple coach John Chaney tells Smith.
"[Thompson] is the one guy who'll have a chance of slowing this train wreck down, who could wrap his arms around Iverson and have an impact, because clearly it has not been done," Chaney said. "But there's still this one question: Will [Iverson] listen?"
Iverson has gone through several teams since leaving the Philly 76ers in 2006. He played with the Denver Nuggets through 2008, before being dealt to the Detroit Pistons. At the start of this season, he signed with the Memphis Grizzlies, but only played three games, amid disagreements over playing time, before announcing a short-lived retirement.
He signed with the 76ers as a free agent in December, making a tearful return to the city where he spent his first 10 1/2 seasons. Then, just last week, the Sixers announced that Iverson would not return for the rest of the season after he was given an indefinite leave to deal with a personal issue related to the health of his 4-year-old daughter.
It's still unclear if he'll return next season. But, by the sound of things, it's probably the last thing he should focus on. It's a shame to see a talent like Iverson fall so hard after such a incredible NBA career.
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