Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson highlight 2016 Hall of Fame class
Iverson and O'Neal will be enshrined along with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, former Houston Rocketscenter Yao Ming, former WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes and Chicago Bullsowner Jerry Reinsdorf.
O'Neal is one of four players to win three Finals MVP awards, joining Michael Jordan (6), Tim Duncan (3) and Magic Johnson (3). He was one vote shy in 1999-2000 of becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history as Iverson received the only other first-place vote.
Iverson, an 11-time All-Star, is the only player 6-0 or shorter to average at least 20 points per game for his career, finishing at 26.7.
"It's just a tribute to everybody else behind the scenes who helped me accomplish what I wanted to accomplish," Iverson said.
Izzo has reached seven Final Fours and earned 524 career victories since becoming the head coach at Michigan State in 1995. In 2000 he guided the Spartans to the NCAA national championship with an 89-76 win over Florida.
Ming, the No. 1 overall pick by the Rockets in 2002, didn't have the numbers of some other great centers, but he bridged a path for the NBA to China. The third Chinese player in league history was an eight-time All-Star before injuries shortened his career, as he missed 159 out of a possible 164 games in the last two years in the NBA. Ming was a first-team all-rookie in the 2002-03 season. In his first game against O'Neal, he blocked his first three shot attempts in the first three minutes of the game.