Former NBA superstar Allen Iverson has been accused by his wife of kidnapping their children, U.S. media reported Monday.

According to Philly.com, Tawanna Iverson recently filed legal documents with an Atlanta court accusing her ex-husband of abducting their children, of whom she has sole custody.

Tawanna alleged that Allen Iverson took the children for a five-day vacation in North Carolina last month with her permission, but has failed to return them. She claimed to have arranged a meeting at a neutral location on June 4 to pick up the children, but Iverson never showed up.

Tawanna said that Iverson was an alcoholic who drank around the children, whose ages range from 3 to 16 years old. She also said that the former basketball star owed her $40,000 in child support.

Iverson has filed legal documents countering Tawanna’s claims.

Once adored as a global sports icon, winning the NBA Most Valuable Player honor in 2001, 38-year-old Iverson’s luck has been on the decline since he ended his stellar career in 2010.

Despite having earned over $155 million in salary and millions more in endorsement deals, financial problems have ailed him. In February 2012, a court in Georgia ordered the seizure of his bank accounts after he failed to pay back his debts.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)