Last week, the Philadelphia 76ers’ Allen Iverson announced he was leaving basketball for the rest of the season to spend time with his sick 4-year-old daughter, Messiah. This week, his wife Tawanna Iverson filed for divorce in Atlanta.

The couple has five children together, ranging in age from 15 years to 17 months. They were high school sweethearts, finally marrying in 2001. In the divorce petition, Tawanna Iverson asked for temporary and permanent custody of the children as well as child support and alimony.

According to the petition, the Iversons have lived in Atlanta since August 2009. Prior to that, the family lived in Rochester, Michigan, Englewood, Colorado, Denver, Colorado and Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Iverson played for the 76ers from 1996 to 2006 and returned to the team just recently. Since 2006, he played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.)

Tawanna Iverson is known for being a private person. She has not spoken to the press and there has been no disclosure of the nature of Messiah’s illness. Rumors are now swirling that Allen Iverson is battling both alcohol and gambling addictions.

Normally, we would guess that no prenuptial agreement exists when a celebrity married his or her high school sweetheart. However, the Iversons – although a family prior to AI’s NBA stardom – were not married until five years after he was drafted and after he was named league MVP. It is quite possible that a prenuptial agreement was signed prior to their marriage.

Regardless of the existence of a prenup, Iverson will be required to pay child support for all five children – as a prenup may not limit or set an amount of child support.

Library Topics: custody, child support, alimony, prenuptial agreement