PHILADELPHIA -- By Yuann Phillips' count, Allen Iverson has had one too many runs-in with the law.

"If he goes to jail again, I'm done with him," the 10-year-old said between 20-foot jumpers at West Philadelphia's Clark Park.

Even the youngest players shooting at the shady playground Saturday knew of the latest legal troubles dogging the Philadelphia 76ers basketball star, who is due to turn himself in Tuesday on charges he forced his way into a relative's apartment while armed with a gun.

They also knew about the 27-year-old's record: how he spent four months in prison as a teenager on an assault conviction (later overturned), and that early in his career with the 76ers he was arrested on a gun possession charge.

Sure, another of Phillips' ballplayer idols, Jason Kidd, got arrested once on a domestic violence allegation and agreed to go through counseling in a deal with prosecutors. But that's different, he said.

"One time, it's OK. Everybody makes mistakes. But three? No."

Just like everyone else, kids in Philadelphia are talking about Iverson's woes, and the possibility that the 76er's hopes of building a winning team could be dashed by the behavior of their best player.

And like adults, they are torn between admiring him as a player, and repudiating his alleged conduct.

"If he did it, that's wrong. He's not supposed to have a gun," said Craig Wise, 13, but he added Iverson would probably remain one of his favorite NBA stars.

"I don't think it will change the way kids think about him. He's still a great player. I don't think they pay much attention to this other stuff."

Whether children are influenced by athletes who behave badly is an old debate.

Latrell Sprewell was widely castigated when he choked Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo during a practice in 1997.

Some parents probably still feel uneasy when they see kids dressed in replicas of the Baltimore Ravens jersey worn by Ray Lewis, who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in connection with the 2000 stabbing death of two men in Atlanta.

Iverson is also known beyond the basketball court through his ads for Reebok, and the company is standing by him. The sports shoe and clothing company, which last year gave him a lifetime extension of a 10-year, $50 million endorsement deal, has said it was "disappointed" in the decision to pursue the charges.

Prosecutors say Iverson pushed his way into a cousin's apartment sometime around 3:30 a.m. on July 3, confronted two men and demanded that they help him find his wife, who had checked into a hotel. One of the men called 911 and said Iverson had thrown his wife out of the house naked.

Iverson has not spoken publicly about the case. He is charged with trespassing, assault, making threats, unlawful restraint and carrying a gun without a license, and faces jail time if convicted.

Even jail won't turn Jameka Sturdivant, 15, away from her favorite player.

"I'm going to be with him to the end," she said, decked out in an Iverson 76ers jersey. She added that even if Iverson is guilty, "what he did was a family thing," and that she isn't worried about whether younger kids would model their behavior after his.

"That kind of thing starts from home, really," she said. "If they see it at home, they'll do it, too. They don't pay attention when it's someone they only know from TV."