18-year-old Allen Iverson Once Avoided 15-years Prison Time For a Valentine’s Day Brawl In His Hometown

Some fans might be unaware of the fact that Allen Iverson has served time in prison. Not just a few days for that matter, the Sixers legend once spent four long months in Prison in Hampton.

But that could easily have been three to five, or even 15 years in prison which would have ruined his basketball career for good, if not for his nationwide popularity back in the day.

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When Allen Iverson got into a brawl that got him Prison time

A brawl took place on 14th February 1993, three years prior to Iverson’s NBA Draft, where the 18-year-old who was yet to play college basketball and was one of the best talents in the country, was enjoying himself with his friends.

They were not just there when the incident started, it started because of them. According to a Daily Press article, Iverson’s group were adamant about continuing their bowling session even after their lane was shut off. Within a few minutes that turned into flying chairs, shots, and people screaming and crying.

Later in the court, Iverson and a white man named Steve Forrest were considered the major culprits to instigate the fight between the group of two separate races.

Both sides of stories were heard. AI said he was called a “little boy” and the N-word by Forrest, and as he confronted Forrest, he came uncomfortably close and grabbed a chair to hit Iverson.

After an employee’s testimony, Allen was held guilty and was charged with 3 to 5 years in prison. Previously charged with 15 years, the sentence was reduced because nobody went through a serious injury and also because of the controversy that built up as it was clearly a racial exchange.

How Iverson escaped years of jail-time

Eventually, due to the suspension of two more counts that were charged, the sentence was reduced to 10 months. Due to national attention to the whole incident and Iverson being a high school prodigy, he had to be released after serving four months of jail time. Even a documentary was released on the whole incident by the name No Crossover.

Thankfully, he did not go full rogue during his time in prison. Otherwise, we would have missed out on once-in-a-generation players who changed the game forever.

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About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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