Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson were two of the most exciting players of their generation, and now they have put the ultimate capper to their careers after being elected to the 2016 class of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
All indications are that Allen Iverson and Shaquille O'Neal are mere minutes away from joining Yao Ming as Class of 2016 @HoopHall inductees
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 4, 2016
Between the two of them, Shaq and A.I. have a combined 26 NBA All-Star appearances, eleven first team All-NBA selections, six scoring titles, two MVP awards, two rookie of the year awards, and nearly 53,000 points in their historic careers.
Iverson and Shaq will join a 10-person class that also includes Chinese superstar Yao Ming, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, former WNBA MVP Sheryl Swoopes, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, longtime referee Darell Garretson, legendary coach John McLendon, and former pro players Zelmo Beaty and Cumberland Posey. Among those who missed out on getting in include former Phoenix Sun Kevin Johnson, and former college coaches Lefty Driesell, Eddie Sutton, Bo Ryan and Muffet McGraw.
After the news, the NBA world flocked to Twitter to congratulate the two superstars and the rest of the class of 2016 on their induction.
Congratulations @SHAQ – @Hoophall Class of '16! #Forever pic.twitter.com/1M5MXJjBKz
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 4, 2016
Congrats to Allen Iverson on being elected to Basketball Hall of Fame it was truly amazing to watch you play #TheAnswer
— Matt Sitkoff (@matt_sitkoff) April 4, 2016
Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming are all in the 2016 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame class. So happy for all three! 🏀
— Chris Manning 🏀 (@LD2K) April 4, 2016
Allen Iverson's hall of fame speech is going to be one for the history books.
And he better wear a mink.— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) April 4, 2016
@Shaq imposed his will to the peril of opposing teams, sweeping Finals MVP honors w/ @lakers (2000-02) #16HoopClass pic.twitter.com/DZ5uTxxV9s
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) April 4, 2016
Pretty good Hall of Fame class: Shaq, Iverson and Izzo.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 4, 2016
Allen Iverson is officially a Hall-of-Famer. The man that brought SWAG to the NBA. pic.twitter.com/AtNiiE1aYf
— Sneaker Bar Detroit (@SBDetroit) April 4, 2016
Congrats to Allen Iverson on HOF. Nothing like him. The list of top scoring seasons in the 6' 0" and under category. pic.twitter.com/7tkhDNylag
— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) April 4, 2016
Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal's will be good, too, but Allen Iverson speech in Springfield should be classic. @Hoophall. Super 2016 class.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) April 4, 2016
Congratulations to Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson! pic.twitter.com/EvH1DUHYrY
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 4, 2016
The enshrinement is set to take place on September 9 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
