Iverson shows danger of pampering athletes

By William C. Kashatus

It's been a tough month for Allen Iverson. First the 76ers parted ways with the 34-year-old guard, likely ending a once-brilliant basketball career. A few days later, his wife filed to end an eight-year marriage that had been his most stable relationship. And Iverson continues to cope with the illness of his 4-year-old daughter, one of five children who will be the subject of a custody battle.

Iverson's chaotic life may serve to remind other athletes that superstardom is fragile and fleeting, even for the most stellar performers.

Until now, life had been mostly good to Allen Iverson. At Georgetown, he had the Hoyas' highest ever career scoring average, 23 points per game. He left college early to enter the 1996 NBA draft, and the Sixers selected him with the No. 1 pick.

Iverson went on to become an 11-time all-star and league MVP in the 2000-01 season, when he led the Sixers to the finals. Over the course of a 14-year career, he became one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, with a career average of 26.7 points per game, and earned more than $200 million.

At the same time, though, Iverson was his own worst enemy. His quick, scrappy play and electrifying scoring ability were exceeded only by his "my way" mentality, both on and off the court. Iverson clashed with nearly every coach he had, from Larry Brown in Philadelphia to Lionel Hollins in Memphis, over discipline, missed practices, and his refusal to play if he wasn't a starter.

NBA Commissioner David Stern reprimanded Iverson repeatedly for such transgressions as making a rap CD with controversial lyrics, urinating in a trash can in full view of staff and patrons at Bally's Atlantic City, and violating the NBA dress code's rules against T-shirts, jeans, and large jewelry.

More troubling were Iverson's brushes with the law, which began long before his NBA career. As a junior and champion quarterback for his Virginia high school, Iverson was involved in a gang fight that got him four months at a correctional facility. In 1997, he was arrested on misdemeanor charges of marijuana and gun possession that got him three years' probation.