Shaq, Yao, Iverson look to take next step to Hall of Fame

On Friday, former Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal was announced as a finalist for the 2016 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The list of finalists also includes former Georgetown University and Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo.

The Class of 2016 will be announced on Monday, April 4 at a press conference in Houston prior to the NCAA Men’s Championship game.

Absent from the All-Star announcement was Ming, whose nomination falls within the Direct Elect International Committee.

Two larger-than-life big men and one of basketball’s most exciting little guys highlight the list of players, coaches and contributors who are eligible for induction this year into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “They called me the fastest point guard in the NBA with the basketball, and I knew I had to relinquish that title the moment I saw Allen Iverson play.”Yao recalled first watching the NBA live in China during the 1994 finals, when Houston won the title. If they do, they would then require 18 votes from the 24-member Honors Committee, as do all nominees from the North American and Women’s Committees.

He, O’Neal and Iverson all benefited from a recent change in Hall of Fame rules that made a player eligible for candidacy after four full years of retirement.

Iverson was a nine-time all-star and led the league in scoring four times over his 14-year career. Results will be announced at the NCAA Final Four in April.

Referee Darell Garretson served as an National Basketball Association official for 27 years, officiating 1,798 regular season games, including 269 playoff games and 41 Finals games.

Iverson, a four-time National Basketball Association scoring champion and the league MVP in 2000-2001, finished his career with averages of 26.7 points and 6.2 assists per game.

Barry is perhaps most famous for his under-handed free-throw shooting style, one that many think the chronically-poor foul shooter O’Neal should have mimicked.