And who can love you like me? Nobody, except maybe Allen Iverson. The NBA icon recently revealed that he had to channel Keith Sweat to win back his longtime love, Tawanna Turner, Complex reports. During Tuesday’s episode of First Take with Stephen A. Smith, Iverson spoke openly about their breakup, reconciliation, and how humility mixed with a little soul helped him repair the bond that once felt broken.
When asked about the lowest point of his life, Iverson didn’t hesitate. “The divorce with Tawanna was self-inflicted,” he said. “When I saw the paper that said Iverson vs. Iverson, that’s when I knew this was the lowest it gets.” The former MVP admitted that pain pushed him to self-reflection. “I had tried everything, and nothing worked until I really started to look in the mirror.”
Iverson and Turner’s story began in high school and turned into marriage in 2001. They divorced in 2013 but later rekindled their relationship. “I had to do a lot of begging,” Iverson said with a laugh. “A lot of Keith Sweat. I had to convince her that I wasn’t the same old me. I told her how important she is to my growth, to my life, and where I want to go.”
Love, Growth, and Real Change
Iverson credited Turner for grounding him and helping him evolve beyond basketball. The couple shares five children: Tiaura, Allen II, Isaiah, Messiah, and Dream. Their reunion didn’t happen overnight, but through patience and sincerity. “I’m not the same Allen Iverson without her,” he said. “She is my life.”
In his 2016 Hall of Fame speech, Iverson thanked Tawanna for her “real love,” calling her the reason he kept fighting when things got dark. Now 50, Iverson says he has quit drinking and found peace through faith and family. “She told me this was the first time she prayed on it when I said I was done,” he explained. “That’s how she knew I was serious.”
For Allen Iverson, the biggest comeback of his career didn’t happen on the court. It happened at home, where love, faith, and a little bit of Keith Sweat turned pain into purpose.
