Allen Iverson, speaking about his new memoir “Misunderstood” on ESPN’s “First Take,” opened up about the lowest point in his life — and it didn’t involve anything that happened on a basketball court.
“It was self-inflicted,” Iverson told host Stephen A. Smith. “But that’s when Tawanna got divorced.”
Tawanna Turner and Iverson married in 2001. Iverson’s fame coincided with their marriage, and much like Iverson’s career, it had its ups and downs.
The two separated in 2008 and the divorce was finalized in 2013. This coincided with the end of Iverson’s career: he officially retired in October 2013, saying he no longer wanted to play.
“That’s when I knew I was going to reach my lowest point and it was time for a deep reevaluation,” he said. “When I was sitting there in that courtroom, I used to watch Sixers vs. Sixers in a scrimmage, or Georgetown vs. Georgetown. The tears started falling on the (divorce) papers when I looked down and saw ‘Iverson vs. Iverson.'”
But Turner and Iverson are back together, Iverson confirmed, after their 2013 divorce.
When asked how he got Tawanna back, he said: “A lot of sweat from Keith. Had to beg a lot.”
As part of this profound reevaluation of himself and the rebuilding of his marriage, Iverson, 50, said he realized alcohol was a big problem and he was tired of fighting it. The divorce, the end of his career, all the baggage of his youth, all of it weighed on him.
“It’s a plethora of things. At the end of the day, when you evaluate your maturation and what’s important and what you mean to your family and your friends and the world, I was just thinking about how I was supposed to be in life. And I didn’t see how (alcohol) helped other people,” he said. “All I thought about was negative experiences.”
Iverson said he realized a lot of younger NBA players looked up to him and how he shaped this generation of players.
“I made a lot of them feel good about themselves and feel like they can express themselves,” he said. “I love everything that is happening in our league and the improvement of young players. We will never run out of superstars.
“The game is in good hands.”
