“The Answer” Revealed: The Truth Behind Allen Iverson Bowling Alley Incident

Like a number of other black professional athletes, the beginning of Allen Iverson’s life journey was not an easy one. Born to a single teenage mother and growing up in a rough Hampton, Virginia neighborhood, Iverson faced a lot of adversity during his younger years. Although his childhood was not picture perfect, he was very involved in sports, namely football and basketball. As Iverson continued to excel in athletics, On February 14, 1993, he would find himself in a situation that could have changed his life forever. An incident involving Iverson and a group of his friends at a local bowling alley in Hampton, Virginia turned into an all out brawl. The fighting parties consisted of Iverson’s friends and other black teenagers and a group of Caucasian teenagers. It was said that the altercation started because the word “Nigger” was used towards the group of blacks present at the bowling alley. To this day, Iverson claims that he left before the actual fight took place.

Clearly, both groups were in the wrong but there were only four arrests made that night. And they were Allen Iverson and three of his friends. Although he was not yet 18, Iverson was faced with a felony charge of maiming by mob. If convicted, he would have served 15 years in prison with 10 years suspended. Fortunately for Iverson, the Virginia Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 1995 due to lack of evidence.