Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson were the biggest names of the 10 new faces to be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame on Monday.
Iverson and O’Neal will be enshrined along with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, former WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes and Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Longtime NBA referee Darrell Garretson, coach John McLendon and former stars Zelmo Beaty and Cumberland Posey will be celebrated posthumously.
O’Neal, one of the heaviest players in NBA history at 7ft 1in and 325lbs, won four championships - two with LA and one with Miami - and one MVP award in a glittering career, and ranks seventh all-time in points scored.
Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers in history despite his lack of inches, and his playoff career scoring average of 29.7 points per game is second only to Michael Jordan. He won four scoring titles and was the league's MVP in 2001, when his 48-point performance for the 76ers in Game 1 of the finals handed the Lakers their only loss in a dominant 4-1 finals victory.
“I’m just proud of the people that helped me, just for it be a debate if I’m going to be a Hall of Famer or not,” Iverson said after the February ceremony announcing the finalists. “I’m just proud of my family and friends and my fans that helped me get to this point.”
Yao, one of the tallest players ever to play in the NBA, saw his career cut short by injuries, but he was dominant when healthy for the Houston Rockets in the 2000s. He has had an enormous impact in helping basketball grow in China.
Candidates needed at least 18 of 24 votes from the honors committee to be inducted. The ceremony is September 9th in Springfield, Massachusetts.
2016 Hall of Fame inductees
Zelmo Beaty, Darrell Garretson, Allen Iverson, Tom Izzo, John McLendon, Yao Ming, Shaquille O’Neal, Cumberland Posey, Jerry Reinsdorf, Sheryl Swoopes.
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