The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will welcome a star-studded class in 2016.
Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Zelmo Beatty, Cumberland Posey and Sheryl Swoopes are the players being inducted. Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, former coach John McLendon, Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and former referee Darell Garretson also are part of this year’s class. Beaty, Posey, McLendon and Garretson will be enshrined posthumously.
The inductees were announced Monday, with O’Neal, Iverson and Ming being the most notable.
O’Neal is a four-time champion who won three NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat. He also won a league MVP and three NBA Finals MVPs (all with the Lakers).
Iverson won a league MVP and was one of the best scorers of his era, and Ming ranked among the top centers during his career and played a central role in basketball’s popularity in China soaring to new heights over the last 15 years.
Thumbnail photo via Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports ImagesÂ
