Lisa’s Look: Who Were the NBA’s Bad Boys?
Allen Iverson
If AI wasn’t included in a NBA bad boys conversation it just wouldn’t be complete. Everyone knows the history of this trend setter but we somehow never get enough. From the bowling alley fight where he was granted clemency on a 15-year prison sentence to the concealed weapons to the 2005 body guard assault– Iverson was doing things the way he knew how.
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His mom was only 15 when she had him and let’s face it, we all know how mature we were at that age. What are the odds that one would get to college under those circumstances let alone become a professional athlete? He brought the braids, the tattoo, and the gangster swag. He stayed true keeping tight ties to friends and family that were there before the NBA. He married longtime girlfriend, Tawanna Turner, and kept his original Hampton entourage as proof of not forgetting where he came from.
I thought I had died and went to heaven when Iverson came to Denver from 2006-2008. Between him and Melo, we had the No. 1 and No. 2 leading scorers in the league or so we thought. These were the last two successful years of his career. He kept his nose clean in the Mile High City, and our team was chocked full of players everyone wanted to watch. Kudos to George Karl for managing egos and getting the maximum effort out of Allen every single night.
When he cut his braids off he said he was hoping his wife would remember him as a young man & fall in love with him all over again . He didn’t come up and leave her behind for some super model, actress, etc. Unfortunately having many chicks on the side would take its toll on any woman.
Rumors of financial troubles, infidelities, and alcoholism lead to the demise of his marriage, although to this day he never is without his kids and Tawanna for press conferences. I think those two will always be close in some way, shape, or form.
Once Iverson left Denver things seemed to unravel. He wasn’t able to find a rhythm coming off the bench, and if he couldn’t go out guns a blazing, he wanted no part.
All that seems to be in the press these days are money management troubles. It’s a good thing Reebok had a deferred trust around $30 million that Iverson can get his hands on at age 55. But, he still has to be a good little boy. Here are some stipulations on that agreement.
A 11-time NBA-All Star, 2001 and 2005 MVP, and one of the greatest guards of all time, Iverson did things his own way. He intrigued the world with 14 NBA seasons, and at times he looked like a car wreck. He will forever be remembered for his ‘practice’ rant, his one of a kind style, and a basketball greatness that compares to no one.
Next: Nene?
