Allen Iverson Thanks John Thompson for Saving His Life

During the half hour speech that Allen Iverson gave at the Hall of Fame, he thanked his coach John Thompson. This was a speech to remember, but when the Philadelphia 76ers player started talking about his former Georgetown coach it went to a whole other level.

Iverson tried to fight back tears as he thanked his old coach for saving him and giving him the opportunity to play. After an incident in high school, Iverson had a hard time getting recruited by any teams or schools, however, Thompson gave him a chance.

Back in high school, Iverson got into a fight at a bowling alley after he was called the “n-word”. Even though his convictions were overturned, he had a hard time rebuilding his reputation. If it wasn’t for Thompson, we might not have seen this all-American in the NBA.

The masculine name Allen is a variant of Alan, but the meaning behind the name is not clear. It was used back in the 6th century in Brittany and could possible mean either “handsome” or “little rock” in Breton. On the other hand, it could be in reference to the tribal name of the Alans, who were an Iranian people that migrated back in the 4th and 5th centuries into Europe.

The name has been given to many famous people, from Allen Ginsberg the American poet to Woody Allen the actor and film director, who used Allen for his stage name.