Allen Iverson

Iverson married his high school sweetheart, Tawanna Turner, in August 2001. They have five children: Tiaura, Allen II, Isaiah, Messiah and Dream. Turner filed for divorce in 2010, and the divorce was finalized in 2013. Iverson later said that they were back together less than a month afterward.

In February 2010, Iverson left the Philadelphia 76ers to attend to the health problems of his four-year-old daughter, Messiah. He later identified her illness as Kawasaki disease.

At Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, Iverson excelled in both football and basketball. He led the school to Virginia state championships in both sports and became the Associated Press High School Player of the Year in each sport. He also played for an Amateur Athletic Union team coached by Boo Williams that won the 1992 national championship for players aged 17 and under.

Iverson attended Georgetown University from 1994 to 1996 under head coach John Thompson. He won Big East Rookie of the Year in his first season and was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year in both seasons. He led Georgetown to the Big East championship and the Elite Eight of the 1996 NCAA tournament before entering the NBA draft after his sophomore year.

In 1993, when Iverson was 17, he was involved in a fight at a bowling alley in Hampton. He was convicted as an adult of felony maiming by mob and sentenced to 15 years in prison, with 10 years suspended. Iverson spent four months at Newport News City Farm before receiving clemency from Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder.

The Virginia Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 1995 because of insufficient evidence. The case affected Iverson's final year of high school, which he completed at Richard Milburn High School, an institution for at-risk students. The episode later became the subject of the documentary No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson.

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Iverson first overall in the 1996 NBA draft. He won NBA Rookie of the Year after averaging 23.5 points per game and became the shortest player ever selected first overall. In 1998-99, he won his first NBA scoring title and earned his first All-NBA First Team selection.

Iverson reached the peak of his career during the 2000-01 season. He won the NBA scoring title and steals title, was named NBA Most Valuable Player, and led Philadelphia to the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers defeated the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs before facing the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Iverson scored 48 points in Philadelphia's Game 1 victory, the Lakers' only loss during those playoffs.

He remained with Philadelphia through 2006 and won four NBA scoring titles in total. He also became an 11-time NBA All-Star from 2000 through 2010. His 2002 response to criticism about missed practices, commonly known as the "practice" rant, became one of the most recognizable moments of his career.

Philadelphia traded Iverson to the Denver Nuggets in December 2006, where he played alongside Carmelo Anthony. He later played for the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies before returning to the 76ers for the 2009-10 season. He left Philadelphia in February 2010 to care for his daughter and did not return to the team.

Iverson finished his professional playing career with Beşiktaş in Turkey, appearing in the 2010-11 season. He officially retired in October 2013. The 76ers retired his number 3 in 2014, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Iverson's influence extended beyond statistics and awards. His cornrows, tattoos, arm sleeve, baggy clothing and hip-hop influenced fashion helped change the visual culture of professional basketball. He later became Reebok's Vice President of Basketball and returned to organized play as a player-coach and captain of 3's Company in the inaugural BIG3 season.