Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson’s first run-in with the law took place while he was still in high school at Bethel High. There he had succeeded in quarterbacking the schools team to the state championship and was in the process of leading the school’s basketball team to a state title. On Valentines Day of 1993 he was at a bowling alley with friends when a fight broke out between Allen and his friends and another group of young men. Iverson contends the fight started as a result of racial slurs. Iverson was accused of hitting a woman in the head with a chair. Iverson has always maintained his innocence. He and three other young African American men were arrested. At 17 Iverson was convicted of a felony charge of maiming by mob and sentenced to a 15 year prison sentence with 10 years suspended. He spent four months at the Newport News City Farm. Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder granted him a pardon and he was released. The conviction was over-turned in 1995 by the Virginia Court of Appeals citing insufficient evidence.

In 1996 Iverson was the number 1 draft pick by the Philadelphia 76ers. During his first season with the Sixers he was voted Rookie of the Year. Soon after the season ended in 1997 Iverson was arrested for possession of a gun and two marijuana cigarettes after the car he was riding in was pulled over for speeding in Richmond. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concebaled weapon in a plea agreement and the drug possession charges were dropped. He preformed 100 hours of community service and received three years probation. After this time his record was expunged.

In the summer of 2002 Iverson was arrested after threatening two men with a gun. Iverson apparently was looking for his wife, who had left home after a domestic dispute. He was hit with 14 charges, 12 of which were felony. All charges were dropped when his accuser’s testimony did not hold up in court.

Allen Iverson: Controversy Is Not “The Answer”

With many NBA players the focus is on a first or second arrest or controversy, asking the question “what has he done”?  With Allen “The Answer” Iverson, the question is more along the lines of what hasn’t he done.  Iverson has been a player in constant controversy since 1993, hardly a role model for the next generation.

While Iverson was still in high school he had his first brush with the law, caught in a fight between white and black teenagers in Virginia that started with racial slurs.  He wa originally sentenced to 15 years in prison for “maiming by mob”, but the conviction was later vacated after he had spent 4 months in the joint. The then governor and the courts determined that there was not enough evidence of Iverson’s involvement to hold him.

Following his 1993 arrest, he was involved in several more arrests and controversies over the years. In 1997 he was stopped for a routine speeding offense, then arrested for having marijuana and a concealed weapon on his person.  A few years later he was charged with a variety of offenses relating to kicking his girlfriend out of their apartment then threatening her and his cousin, who she was staying with.

Iverson got himself barred from his favorite casino, Ballys Park Place in Atlantic City, by urinating in a public trashcan in front of patrons and hotel staff, in spite of repeated warnings to stop.  He has gotten in other disputes while gambling, most notably at Trump’s Taj Majal.  In that incident a dealer awarded him ten thousand dollars in chips that he did not win, after which Iverson refused to give them back, in spite of casino rules.  The loud argument he had with casino staff over the chips nearly caused the police to be called.

On the court Iverson’s time has been just as filled with controversy and argument.  He’s been fined, suspended and cited for offenses ranging from dress code violations to attacking referees and arguing with coaches.  He’s known for his aggressive, physical style of play, often leaving the court bloody and bruised from his no holds barred style of play.  Iverson is a player who is not afraid to go after the ball and defend against the opposing team, often calling fouls.  He isn’t the biggest player on the court, but his small dog attitude keeps him fierce and makes him a force to be reckoned with.

His most recent beef with the NBA resulted in over $25,000 in fines.  Oddly enough, the reason for the fines could be the tamest to date. After being ejected from a game for having two technical fouls, Iverson criticized the referee’s call in the media. His public criticism of an official’s call netted him the hefty fine from the NBA.  Considering some of Iverson’s other arrests, arguments and fights calling a referee on a bad call in public seems like the least of his worries, and hardly worth a $25,000 fine.