Allen Iverson Elected to Hall of Fame on First Ballot

Josh Wilson

Apr 15, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers flight crew member waves a large 76ers flag at center court during a timeout against the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center. The Heat won 105-101. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Former Philadelphia 76ers player Allen Iverson has been elected to this year’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class.

Being inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is quite possibly the highest solo honor that an NBA player can receive. Allen Iverson has been elected to this year’s election class, which is one of the greatest ones in recent memory.

This was the first year Iverson was eligible, and he actually was declared eligible one season early. Iverson’s eligibility was, at first, going to be pushed back an entire season due to the fact that he did play overseas basketball for just a short while after his NBA career had completed. The Hall deemed it appropriate to not count that short international stint against his eligibility.

The announcement of the newest class came on Monday morning. Among other notable players that played during Iverson’s time are Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming. All of these players paved their own way in this league and opened many doors. Iverson for shorter players, Shaq for players who weren’t skilled shooters, and Yao opened a massive door to China, which still stands very important to the league (especially as far as it being a business) today.

2016 @Hoophall Inductees:
-Shaquille O'Neal
-Allen Iverson
-Yao Ming
-Jerry Reinsdorf
-Tom Izzo
-Sheryl Swoopes pic.twitter.com/Tzh7oTU4zT
— Stadium (@Stadium) April 4, 2016

Iverson’s resume for getting inducted into the Hall of Fame is long. He led the 76ers to the NBA Finals in 2001, averaged 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game over his entire career, and paved the way for more average height players to succeed in the NBA.

Iverson appeared in 11 All-Star games throughout the course of his career, was a Rookie of the Year, won an MVP award, and won the league scoring title in 2005. He also was the league leader in steals per game in three different seasons over 14 seasons in the NBA.

Iverson brought an attitude to the NBA that we hadn’t quite seen before. He was unapologetic about the way he played, carried himself, and spoke. The attitude he carried himself with really embodied the city of Philadelphia. Although Iverson played for four different teams throughout his NBA career, his time in Philly is the most memorable, and when it’s all said and done, he’s remembered most as a Philadelphia 76er.

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All the players being inducted this year are very deserving, but for Philly fans, it’s great to see Iverson get recognition for his incredible career. The final induction to the Hall of Fame will be held on the weekend of September 8th through the 10th of 2016.

Josh Wilson

Josh is currently the Managing Editor of FanSided.com. He has worked with FanSided in some capacity for a total of eight years, starting as a contributor for Swarm and Sting, Toro Times, and HoopsHabit in 2015. He served as a site expert for The Sixer Sense during 'The Process' years while starting his educational track at Temple University as a journalism student. He later transferred to the State University of New York at Cortland where he completed his B.A. in Mass Communication with a concentration in journalism. For FanSided, Josh worked as Operations Assistant before taking on a role as Editorial Director of the NBA Division, a role he held for three years. Along the way he also helped start and lead the FanSided fellowship program which created a path for several young journalists to start their careers in sports media. Nothing is more important to Josh than Yankee wins and his family.