Virginia, our little Allen Iverson is growing up.

The NBA star and Hampton Roads native donated $100,000 last week to the Newport News Police Department's "Gun Buy Back" program. Used in many urban areas, the program offers money to residents to turn in guns to police with no questions asked.

I'm fully mindful of Iverson's run-ins with the law and his less-than-stellar history with guns. And his act of generosity undoubtedly is not solely rooted in altruism. Iverson is mindful of the tax benefit of his philanthropy as well as the good press.

But I'm willing to give The Answer the benefit of the doubt, to hope that his philanthropy also is a sign of someone growing into a law-abiding husband and father.

"If we can prevent one more child from being killed and another family from crying and mourning the death of another loved one," Iverson said in a statement, "then it is more than worth it."

Those are the thoughtful words of a 32-year-old man who has grown from a 17-year-old kid whose break nearly derailed because of a fistfight at a Hampton bowling alley. Then-Gov. Doug Wilder extracted young Iverson from that legal tangle.

In 1997, after turning pro, Iverson pleaded no contest to carrying a concealed weapon in New Kent County.

Five years later, he was arrested on 14 felony and misdemeanor charges in Philadelphia after police said he broke into his cousin's apartment and threatened him with a gun. Iverson was cleared of all charges except one misdemeanor.

Iverson, who became the poster child for the NBA's hip-hop generation of players, balked at his coach's insistence that he practice.

He took his swagger and cockiness on the court, with a sweet, in-your-face crossover dribble that he used to show fading superstar Michael Jordan that his time had passed.

But in recent years, Iverson's bad-boy image has softened.

Last summer, he made headlines for helping a Roanoke College student after she and her friend were in an auto accident along Interstate 64 near Hampton.

In Denver, where he still has game, Iverson has become -- dare I say? -- a role model to younger teammates. Not just on the court, but off as well.

What's happening to Iverson? Life, I suspect.

He's realizing what many of us realize as we grow older. He's learning that priorities change, that acting a fool usually doesn't come to a good end.

In a society so quick to crucify the Michael Vicks for their poor judgment, Iverson deserves a nod.

He's not only helping his community, but he also has become a man who seems to be moving away from childish things.

Shanna Flowers' column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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