The complete list of people to be inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this September was announced Monday morning and was headlined by NBA superstars Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson.
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Aside from Shaq and Iverson, the only other NBA players to make the HOF Class of 2016 were Yao Ming, who was revealed last week, and early NBA player Zelmo Beatty.
Both Shaq and Iverson are top 30 players in NBA history and top 5 players in their era. They combined for 26 All-Star Appearances, 22 All-NBA appearances and five scoring titles. They have each also won a regular season MVP award, with Shaq winning in the 1999-2000 season and Allen Iverson in the 2000-2001 season.
Shaq averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game in 19 seasons and won four NBA championships and three NBA Finals MVP awards. Iverson averaged 26.7 points, 6.2 assists 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 14 NBA seasons and transformed the NBA with new age style and look and a game that connected with inner city kids around the world.
These players couldn’t have been any more diverse in their physical stature and game play. Shaq was a gift from the gods, a 7’1″ 330 pound athletic freak and behemoth who overpowered foes with his sheer strength and explosiveness. Iverson was 5’10” 160 pounds soaking wet but was the most prolific scorer in the league for a decade and had incredible ball handling ability, craftiness, quickness and toughness.
There was a time right after Michael Jordan retired that Shaq and Iverson were the two biggest stars and possibly the best basketball players on the face of the planet. They squared off in the 2001 NBA Finals in which Shaq’s far superior Lakers team won in 5 games.
It was known from the moment each player retired that they would be first ballot Hall of Famers and it will be fun to watch their legendary professional basketball careers be celebrated as they join the most exclusive group that exists in their sport this September.
