The Tragic Real-Life Story Of NBA Legend Allen Iverson

In 1998, Sports Illustrated did a profile on the up-and-coming Allen Iverson, noting that although he had clearly been built for basketball and was destined for great things, he was regularly ridiculed from the stands and yes, it absolutely bothered him: "I got [corn]rows, but that don't mean I'm no gangbanger. I ain't never been in a gang. Why people wanna judge me like that?" he was quoted as saying.

It was also pointed out that at the same time, Iverson was associated with people who were on the wrong side of the law, specifically, his stepfather, mentor, and the man who taught him to play basketball, Michael Freeman. Freeman had entered Iverson's life when he was little more than a baby, and although he had helped support the family through his job at the local shipyards, a car accident and subsequent lay-off meant that with few options, he turned to the drug trade. Throughout the 1990s, he accumulated a slew of drug charges: At the time Iverson entered Georgetown, Freeman had just gotten out of prison on parole (via The Washington Post), and in 2007, the media was reporting on yet another drug charge, according to the Daily Press (via ESPN).

Iverson has remained steadfastly by his side, once saying, "He was just trying to feed his family. I would kill him to come home from jail and find out how his family was living. One time, he came home and just sat down and cried."