Update Post: November 28, 2023 10:22 am
Iverson was almost sentenced to 54 years in prison in 2002. What happened to the NBA star?
Andrey Antson November 21, 2023, 21:15 Moscow time
A terrible incident involving my wife’s family.
Allen Iverson was a true superstar, distinguished by his acting, style of dress and lifestyle. Unfortunately, the player’s biography also contains unpleasant pages related to violations of laws.
Even before making his NBA debut, Iverson was jailed for a fight at a bowling alley in 1993. He was allegedly involved in a gang fight with his friends against a group of white youths. The initial court decision was a sentence of five years in prison, but five months later the state governor pardoned him and in 1995 his conviction was annulled, just a year before he entered the world’s most important basketball league.
In 1997, Allen was found in possession of two marijuana cigarettes, as well as a gun for which Iverson did not have a license. He again avoided jail, received 100 hours of community service and underwent drug testing for two years.
But perhaps the most potentially disconcerting incident occurred in 2002, a year after he married his current wife, Tawanna Turner.
Tawanna Turner and Allen Iverson
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
Turner and Iverson’s marriage went through many scandals and crises. Tawanna filed for divorce twice: in 2009 and 2013. But scandals dogged the couple from the first months of marriage.
As a result of one of these scandals, Allen kicked his wife out of the house. Then, he allegedly broke into his relatives’ house with a gun to try to make peace. Following these accusations, police conducted a thorough search of the basketball player’s mansion in search of firearms and other evidence.
The district attorney outlined all the possible charges the player could be convicted of: trespassing, assault, threat of violence and threatening with a weapon. These are all considered felonies and Iverson could have received a 54-year sentence for all of these crimes.
Allen did not flee from law enforcement and surrendered to them, but he did not admit his guilt. As a result, the investigation did not prove that Iverson had a firearm, so the case was closed.
Allen Iverson at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Photo: Jim Rogash/Getty Images
However, the couple was able to overcome all the problems and continue living together. Allen expressed Turner’s importance in his life in his 2016 Hall of Fame induction speech.
“My favorite person in the world, without a doubt, is Tavanna. 24 years of ups and downs. I am willing to thank you infinitely for what you have done for me.
You motivated me to go to work, you took care of the house. I thank you for how you loved me, how you cared for me, how you guided me into the kind of person who became an example for our children.
You are the best I have. I hope to spend another two decades with you. “I want you to be proud of yourself, so you understand that you are now a member of the Hall of Fame,” Iverson said during the ceremony.