By Josh D. Simon

Allen Iverson has earned a reputation for playing a gutsy, hard-nosed game that belies his relatively small (by NBA standards) physical size. However, his toughest battles ahead may not be on the basketball court, but in family court, as he faces impending divorce and possibly losing custody of his five children aged 17 months to 15 years.

The future NBA hall-of-famer’s wife, Tawanna, is claiming that their marriage is irretrievably broken. Though it's currently unclear whether Iverson's alcohol and gambling issues have contributed to that view, Stephen A. Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer has reported that he has been banned from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City. 

Currently, Iverson is at home with his ill 4-year old daughter, and his future with the Philadelphia 76ers – and as a professional basketball player -- is up in the air.

However, as bleak as things seem for Iverson at the moment – impending divorce, a seriously ill child, reported struggles with gambling and alcoholism – the former superstar has this much in his corner: he’s earned a reputation for rising to the occasion and finding a way to overcome challenges.  

Time will tell whether that alone is enough to see him through what appears to be shaping up as the challenge of his life.