By Sam Bush
Sixers legend Allen Iverson (above with former coach Larry Brown) is now just one step away from achieving basketball’s highest honor.
This afternoon the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame named Iverson as one of 14 finalists for its 2016 induction class.
“I’m a product of Michael Jordan, Isaiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, all those guys that paved the way for us,” said Iverson during the announcement event, which was held at the Sheraton Centre hotel in Toronto and televised on NBA-TV. He added that those players have “no idea” how much they influenced him.
This past November, the Hall of Fame voted to allow retired players to be enshrined after four full seasons of retirement instead of five. As a result, Iverson became eligible for induction this coming September.
Iverson’s final NBA game came on February 20th, 2010, during his second stint with the Sixers. He then formally called it a career the day before the start of the club’s 2013-2014 season.
