Despite a bitter and messy divorce, Allen Iverson took time out to thank his ex-wife, Tawanna Iverson for her support during his jersey retirement in Philadelphia Saturday evening.

Iverson stood centercourt at the Wells Fargo Center, dressed in a black coat, black fedora and glasses at the podium to a sold-out crowd and thanked the most important people that helped him along his basketball career.

"I'm here to tell you that tonight, the number 3 is going where it should be going," he said. "Up there!

The 11-time NBA All Star said he had notes to help him through a 12-minute speech and once went through a thank-you list all the people close to him, including ex-wife Tawanna, with whom he credited for helping him grow as a man," he said "it was easy to come from the heart."

Last year, Tawanna requested that the former basketball player pay 1.2 million in child support that was reportedly owed to her.

After the couple's divorce, he was ordered to pay $8000 a month for their five children. Since then, Tawanna has gone to court on numerous occasions to make Allen pay.

Allen, a former No. 1 overall pick out of Georgetown, was the 1997 Rookie of the Year, the 2001 MVP, a three-time All-NBA First-Team selection and a four-time scoring champion. He led the Philadelphia Sixers to the 2000-01 NBA Finals.

Allen is the eighth player in Sixers franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, Maurice Cheeks, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Hal Greer and Bobby Jones, USA Today noted.

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