Allen Iverson has heartbreaking response to the passing of John Thompson

Former Georgetown Hoyas star, Allen Iverson, thanked his former coach for “saving my life.”

Legendary Georgetown Hoyas coach John Thompson Jr., a titanic force in college athletics history, died at age 78 on Sunday, and tributes began pouring in across the basketball community.

Thompson oversaw fierce Georgetown squads that made three Finals Fours, won the 1984 National Title, and became the iconic team of the 1980s — the heyday of Big East men’s basketball.

Beyond his coaching prowess, “Big John” was a pioneering leader who offered young Black men a place at Georgetown before it was commonplace, and he opened the door for minority coaches after becoming the first Black coach to win a national title. Thompson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

What was Allen Iverson’s relationship with John Thompson?

One of the beneficiaries of Thompson’s tutelage was fellow Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. A multi-sport star in Virginia, Iverson spent four months in jail in 1993 prior to his senior year of high school for his alleged role in a bowling alley skirmish (video later surfaced showing him leaving the fight soon after it began). The perception and prosecution of Iverson was largely influenced by racial prejudices, and Thompson was derided by many for offering the young hooper a place at the prestigious university in Washington D.C.

Iverson’s sentence was overturned on appeal due to insufficient evidence. He would win Big East Rookie of the Year and lead the Hoyas to the Elite Eight as a sophomore. He was named a First-Team All-American and became Thompson’s first player to leave school early for the NBA. In 1996, Iverson was selected No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers and would produce an illustrious, trail-blazing NBA career.

In his emotional Hall of Fame speech in 2014, Iverson thanked Thompson for “saving my life.”

Iverson echoed those sentiments in a heartfelt note posted to social media on Monday in the wake of Thompson’s passing.

In addition to Iverson, Thompson coached and mentored Hall of Fame centers Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, and Dikembe Mutombo.