To no one’s surprise, prosecutors dropped the remaining charges against Sixers superstar Allen Iverson.
The two alleged victims were not willing to testify at trial against Iverson, and Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham was unwilling to spend taxpayers money, or her own political currency, to prosecute the city’s most valuable player.
It seems that deep down, everyone is an A.I. fan.
Iverson’s latest mishap started on July 3, when he allegedly barged into his cousin’s West Philadelphia apartment armed with a gun and threatened two men while looking for his wife, whom he had reportedly thrown out of the house naked.
At a July preliminary hearing, a judge threw out 12 of the 14 counts filed against Iverson, including all felony charges of trespassing, assault, unlawful restraint and carrying a gun without a license.
Under cross-examination the stories of the alleged victims fell apart, along with prosecutors’ case.
Iverson still faced two misdemeanor charges for making terroristic threats. These remaining charges have now been dropped, freeing Iverson from any criminal prosecution.
Last week, Abraham said her office had the power to subpoena the two men and force them to testify, but decided that it would be a waste of resources.
This entire case has been a waste of resources.
The marital spat heard around the world brought hordes of reporters, photographers, helicopters, police and fans to Iverson’s Gladwyne mansion for an uneventful, weeklong stakeout.
The biggest waste was for Iverson, whose off-the-court troubles once again overshadowed his phenomenal talent on the basketball court.
Although the intense scrutiny turned into a media circus, any sensationalism over Iverson’s misdeeds is certainly understandable.
Iverson’s number 3 is among the league’s top selling jerseys, and he is one of the NBA’s most popular players.
He earns $12.4 million a year as a Sixer and has a lifetime, multimillion-dollar endorsement contact with Reebok.
Add to that Philadelphia’s hunger for a championship from it’s 1997 Rookie of the Year and still most valuable player — whose toughness brought us to the NBA finals for the first time in 18 years — and it’s a wonder that Iverson’s life wasn’t plastered on the front page sooner.
This, along with the jewelry, the cornrows, the tattoos, and the VIP treatment at TGI Friday’s, make Iverson, and his run-ins with wifey and the law, water-cooler chatter, sports bar gossip, and definitely front page news.
No one, especially Iverson, should be surprised.
But if Iverson is smart, instead of whining about the frenzy and the criticism, he will learn from his mistakes.
More than partying with the boys, Iverson’s biggest problem is bad judgment — from missing practice after practice to driving around the city at 3 a.m. looking for his wife.
In a statement released last week by his attorneys, Iverson denied having a gun, making threats and forcing his way into his cousin’s apartment.
He also said he considered this incident a “closed chapter” in his life.
Despite his good intentions, if Iverson continues to put himself in foolish situations, he is likely to add another mug shot to his collection, and finally get his walking papers from the Sixers.
But if the kid truly closes the chapter of run-ins with the law and feuds with his coach, he won’t have to worry about the media camped outside his house or Sixers brass in his face — at least until the Sixers win a NBA championship.
Now that would be keeping it real.
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