Allen Iverson

There are many ways you can be a hero to someone. It can be a parent being there for their children or it could be a star athlete being there for their team. Either way, a hero is someone others look up to and also expect to take control. Along with that, others also expect them to be a leader. Heroes are normally portrayed as the protagonist and are looked at in a positive way. These are the reasons that Allen Iverson is my hero.

Allen Iverson was born into a poor childhood and was raised in a bad neighborhood. He tried avoiding trouble as much as possible, but sometimes it found him. A major part of his life, that helped keep him away from bad influences, was basketball. Iverson was always playing, no matter what time of day it was. He also had to take care of his younger siblings while growing up. Although this was not any easy thing to do, it helped him mature greatly.

Iverson worked hard on his basketball skills, but no one was harder on him than his mother. When he played basketball for the Recreational Center his mother would always make him go, even if he did not want to. His mom knew that he was destined to play basketball and did not want him to throw away his talent because of laziness.

Unfortunately Iverson did not work nearly as hard in school as he did on the court. At many times he would struggle and scrape his way by. Eventually this would conflict with his basketball. Iverson was suspended from playing until his grades were up. Iverson had a tutor that helped him get on the right track with his grades and soon enough he was back on the team playing basketball again.

Through all of the hard work Iverson has done, he has also made bad choices. Outside of school he was not the most cooperative person. This led into him having trouble with the law. One incident is when Iverson and his friends had been in a bowling alley brawl, when the cops were called in, and arrested them. Another incident was when he was pulled over while driving with his friends and was arrested, again. Although he had blemishes on his record, he's put the past behind him and started on his way to a new life.

Getting into college was no easy thing for Iverson. He was an outstanding basketball player, but started to slip on his schoolwork, once more. Afraid of not getting into college, Iverson got another tutor to help him through his work. Eventually, Georgetown offered him a scholarship, where he went to play basketball. Dominating his way through his college career, Iverson eventually landed himself in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Allen Iverson was drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers. For the most part, his time there was great, except for a few problems. One of Iverson�s biggest problems was with the coach, Larry Brown, at one point during a season. Neither of them could see eye to eye and it always seemed they would be disrespecting each other. Iverson would not show up to a practice, then Brown would sit him the next game, and because of incidents such as this, they had a feud going. Later on down the road there was turmoil between the team and the rumors were that Iverson was being traded to another team. This was a bigger deal than most trades because Allen Iverson had played in, and only in, Philadelphia since he was drafted. The thought of him playing for a different city was unimaginable. (Turmoil had nothing to do with Larry Brown.) Eventually the trade was made and Iverson went to the Denver Nuggets, where he played with Carmelo Anthony. All of Philadelphia was shocked and disappointed to see Iverson leave their city for Denver, but there was nothing anyone could do. This was a good trade for Denver because their team made it to the Playoffs of the 2007 seasons. Although they were in the playoffs, they did not perform well enough to make it to the finals.

Through all the rough times, Allen Iverson has maintained a balance between his personal life and basketball. Not only did he balance his basketball career, he made it an outstanding career which many people will remember. He let his career build a bright future for his children. Along with providing financially, he found time, during his busy schedule with basketball, to spend with his children. Allen Iverson is my hero because he takes care of his family, while balancing an NBA career.