Never Be The Same Again

An Open Letter to Allen Iverson
Special from LayupDrill.com

Most of you may be used to us writing articles about dating, relationships, and sex. I know all those topics very well. Being a man, however, my love is for sports. Basketball is and will always be my favorite sport, and Allen Iverson has been my favorite player since I was a kid. I followed A.I from the time he set foot on the court wearing a Georgetown uniform, teaming up with Victor Page in the backcourt, leading the Hoyas to national prominence. I remember the day Iverson was selected by the 76ers in the draft. Some of the moments etched in my mind by one of the most dominant scorers in NBA history are now being overshadowed by personal issues, and his fall from grace.

Iverson was never the ideal star the league marketed. His cornrows and tats came at a time where Michael Jordan’s sqeaky clean image was the norm. A.I pushed the envelope, but it was at a time where the league’s image, and it’s fans drastically changed. Kids in the suburbs though his edginess was cool. His unconventional streetball style as commentators suggested made him a matchup problem for opponents. His demeanor on the court was that of a warrior, though he was the smallest player by height most nights. His desire to win was unmatched often, and putting a Philly team on his back to lead them to the NBA Finals was one of my favorite moments of my teenage years.

Through the changes of teams over the years, Iverson has seen his image, legacy, and reputation take hits. When he was sent to Denver, he was supposed to be the missing piece, however the Nuggets struggled to make the playoffs, and lost in the first round when they did get there. When Denver eventually grew tired of The Answer, they traded him to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, and he has made the Nuggets title contenders. The Pistons situation was a disaster from the jump, as Iverson never really fit into Joe Dumars plans, and eventually was sent home.

There were talks of Iverson retiring last summer, before he finally latched on with Memphis. The tenure with the Grizzlies was a very short one, though, as A.I originally was not happy with his playing time, and eventually was granted a leave of absense to go home to attend to personal issues. Iverson finally ended up back in Philly, but the sequel in a sixers uniform was not the same as his first. Recently, Iverson has had his wife file for divorce, and has had stories break about him being addicted to gambling and alcoholism over the weekend. With Iverson due to turn 35 this year, the A.I his fans, like myself, grew to love and respect is a shell of his former self.

While I hope he one day wears a NBA uniform, I know that is a reach right now. My hope to Allen is that he gets his personal life in order that he is once again at peace with himself and his family. A man that has made tens of millions of dollars over the course of the last 13 years has no financial need for anything, yet apparently lacks so much in other areas of his life. Once he regains that peace he once hopefully had, everything else will again fall into place.

Tagged as: Allen Iverson, Guest Blog