Allen Iverson Opens Up About The “Lowest Point Of His Life”

Allen Iverson is one of the most popular and influential athletes of all time within the culture, but he is not devoid of flaws. The 50-year-old former hooper recently discussed what he called the “lowest point of his life.”

The Answer joined First Take this week to talk about his new memoir, Misunderstood, and got very personal. The hardest moment for him wasn’t losing the NBA Finals or anything having to do with basketball. “It was self-inflicted,” he told Stephen A. Smith. “But it was when Tawanna divorced me.”

Tawanna Turner was AI’s high school sweetheart; they began dating at 16 years old, got married in 2001 at the height of his NBA career, and had five children together. They separated in 2008, and Turner filed for divorce in 2010, seeking full custody, child support, and alimony payments. Their divorce was eventually finalized in 2013.

“That’s when I knew I’d hit my lowest point and it was time for deep self reevaluation,” he added. “When I’m sitting there in that courtroom, I used to watch Sixers vs. Sixers in a scrimmage, or Georgetown vs. Georgetown. Them tears started to hit the [divorce] papers when I looked down and see ‘Iverson vs. Iverson.’”

The former NBA MVP admitted that part of his self-assessment was owning the fact that he had issues with alcoholism, among other things. “Ultimately, when you evaluate your maturation and what’s important and what you mean to your family and friends and the world, I just thought about the way I was supposed to be in life. And I didn’t see how [alcohol] was helping any,” Iverson said. “All I could think about was negative experiences.”

His story has a happy new chapter, though. Iverson told Smith that he and Turner are back together, and he used an old faithful move to win back his love. “A lot of Keith Sweat,” he said. “I had to beg a lot.” He also shared he’s been sober for the last six months, and it’s one of the “best decisions” he’s made. Read more about his life and journey in his new memoir, available now on Amazon.