Tawanna Iverson Files for Divorce

NBA star Allen Iverson has bounced from talented wild child to respected elder statesman during his 20 years on the public stage.

But with the announcement that his wife of eight years, Tawanna Iverson, is filing for divorce at the same time that his family is troubled by a mystery illness that has afflicted his daughter Messiah, the basketball star's personal and public lives seems to be careening out of control.

Iverson, 34, one of the most electrifying yet troubled NBA players of recent memory and a surefire Hall of Fame talent, announced recently that he would not be returning to the Philadelphia Sixers.

Iverson had taken a paid leave of absence from the tea after disclosing his daughter's illness.

At the same time, however, numerous reports of Iverson sightings in bars and casinos during his absence from the team drew criticism.

For years, Iverson has cited the presence of his wife as a stabilizing force in his life. If that's true, it's hard to imagine what trouble he would have found without her influence.

Unfortunately, he may get that opportunity sooner rather than later, since she filed for divorce in Georgia, saying their union was "irretrievably broken" and that she wants custody of their five children.

Iverson, who hails from Virginia, burst on the national sports scene as a high school star, winning adulation for his ball-handling and scoring skills, as well as scorn for finding off-court trouble. A fight with racial overtones at a bowling alley sent him to jail for four months in the early 1990s.

Iverson attended Georgetown University for two years and enjoyed a 14-year NBA career, underscored by soaring highs, such as four scoring titles, all-star appearances and millions in earnings. He also had dramatic lows, including numerous battles with coaches, a terrorist threat charge and other legal woes.

It might be time for friends or mentors (former Georgetown coach John Thompson comes to mind) to get in Iverson's ear and try to get him on the right path.

His basketball career might be over at the age of 34, but productive off-court years are before him if he can get straight.