While Allen Iverson’s NBA career was exciting and celebrated, his personal life has been nothing short of troubling. ‘The Answer’ recently opened up on what he considered to be the lowest point of his life: When his relationship with ex-wife Tawanna Turner failed, leading to a divorce. Even though the two are back together and are dating, the divorce episode was a huge mess.
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Iverson and Turner’s relationship began long before the NBA legend tasted stardom in the league in the late 1990s. They were high-school sweethearts who got married in 2001, when Al, as part of the Philadelphia 76ers squad, was taking the sport by storm.
It was a perfect match, at least, initially. They had five beautiful children together, with their youngest, Dream, being born in 2008. However, that was also the year Turner and Iverson split. Their divorce was finalized in 2013.
The divorce also coincided with Iverson’s retirement from basketball. And, as far as he’s concerned, it was rock bottom.
“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 saw ‘Iverson vs. Iverson,” the 11-time NBA All-Star recently told ESPN.
Iverson had to work on himself, his alcohol addiction, and change his lifestyle comprehensively for Turner to give him a second chance. As of 2025, they’re in a relationship again, but admittedly, Iverson had to do a lot of begging and pleading for this to work.
Who is Tawanna Turner?
Turner has been known in the NBA community as Iverson’s ex-wife, having shared the spotlight with him since they were both 16-year-old teenagers in Hampton, Virginia. She was largely devoted to her family and built a life with Al, until in 2013, she decided to leave him.
Turner explained that Iverson’s financial difficulties and his behavior (possibly a result of his alcohol addiction) made the marriage untenable. But in a way, it was a blessing in disguise for Iverson, who realized it was time for a change.
Not a lot is known about what Turner does — if she has a career that is. But she has a reported net worth of $500,000.
Turner back in Iverson’s life
Following their divorce, Iverson had to reportedly pay a lump sum alimony of $3 million. But what followed was much worse.
The wealth he accumulated from his time as an NBA player and Reebok ambassador almost went down the drain. He admitted to spending about $200 million on his lifestyle habits in the years that followed.
It took time for Iverson to see the light, and because he did, he got a chance to get his family back and redeem himself.
“I had to convince her that basically this wasn’t the same old me,” Iverson told Stephen A. Smith. “I expressed to her what she means to me in my life and how pivotal she is in my growth and my maturation and where I want to go in life. I don’t feel like I’m the same Allen Iverson without her, you know what I mean? She is my life.”
Iverson and Turner haven’t remarried yet. They’ve started dating once more. Whether they will or not remains unknown, but it’s nice to see one of the NBA’s most loved icons finding happiness once again in his life following what was a very dark period.
