Shaq, Iverson among finalists for 2016 Basketball Hall of Fame class

 photo w768xh576_CbCQvtwW0AACY4Z 1_zpsbp2bo1ro.jpg

Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson were among the 14 names announced as finalists for the 2016 Basketball Hall of Fame class on Friday afternoon.

The finalists for basketball’s highest distinction include:

Shaquille O’Neal
Allen Iverson
Kevin Johnson
Sheryl Swoopes
Eddie Sutton (coach)
Bo Ryan (coach)
Tom Izzo (coach)
John McLendon (coach)
Muffett McGraw (coach)
Robert Hughes (coach)
Darrell Garretson (official)
Leta Andrews (coach)
Charles “Lefty” Driesell (coach)
1954-58 Wayland Baptist University

O’Neal spent 19 seasons in the league from 1992-2011, most notably with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat. He won four NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, made 15 All-Star teams, eight All-NBA First Teams, and is a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary team.

Iverson was selected first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996, leading the franchise to six postseason appearances and a trip to the NBA Finals in 2001. Revered as perhaps the most dominant little man in NBA history, Iverson won four scoring titles during his illustrious career, averaging 26.7 in 914 games.

“I’m a product of Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley … all the guys that paved the way for us,” Iverson said at the announcement Friday in Toronto.

Notable names who weren’t named finalists as players from the North American committee include Tim Hardaway, Chris Webber, and Mark Aguirre.

The final enshrinees will be announced on April 4 during the NCAA’s Final Four in Houston.

Brooklyn Nets Grace The Cover Of Sports Illustrated

101012SI_zps146b9f2f
Sports Illustrated
Kings County residents better tread very carefully this week, now that the borough and their sports avatars, the Brooklyn Nets, have been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The issue, which goes on sale today, dives into the history of Brooklyn sports, as seen through the eyes of a writer who covered the borough’s basketball scene in the 1970s. It also explains why Brooklyn is a perfect landing place for the hard-luck Nets, and how the “fertile noggin of excitable, cheerleading Marty Markowitz” originally thought Donald Trump could be a potential buyer of the Nets.