It seems like just yesterday that the players being inducted into the 2016 NBA Hall of Fame were dominating their competition at almost every position on the court.
Advertisement
Iverson, looking dapper in a black suit, poured the same emotion into his words that he played with every single night he put on that ugly Sixers uniform.
Off the court, he’s been just as colossal.
Even though it seemed that the “higher ups” of the National Basketball Association didn’t particularly like the culture Iverson was bringing to the league, it was his realness and willingness to be himself that made him popular and still loved today. “Play basketball because of the joy, the fun”, said Yao. He became an global basketball icon.
Following this year’s games, 13 National Basketball Association teams will have played 22 games in China since 2004. I set out to be the most dominant player ever, but stats don’t validate my career. But I can’t wait to see him.
In 2014, Yao and NBA China opened the first-ever NBA Yao School in Beijing, providing after-school basketball training and fitness programmes for children. He was asked to pick one person to ‘welcome him, ‘ but Shaq had four on the stage, Bill Russell, Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas and former Heat center and Hall of Famer, Alonzo Mourning.
“You’re just the best to me”, he said.
“It’s pretty special. I always remember Coach Smith saying his proudest moments were when his players got honored in some way shape or form, so now I understand what he means”.
An eight-times All-Star, he played 486 games over nine years, all with the Houston Rockets, averaging 19 points and 9.2 rebounds before foot and ankle injuries forced his retirement in 2011. Iverson himself, along with others such as Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, dabbled in rap during the late 1990s and 2000s.
“I’m so fortunate to be your son. I think a lot of kids need that discipline these days”.
Prior to playing in the NBA, Yao was recognized by FIBA as the MVP of the Asia Championship three times.
An 11-time All-Star and four-time National Basketball Association scoring champion, Iverson benefited from the Hall shortening the wait time from five seasons in retirement to four before a player can be nominated.
“We all look older and fatter than when we first met”, Yao, 35, joked as he reminisced about his career.
Iverson thanks many people throughout his career, but came back to Georgetown again. For Iverson, it was about embracing the bad boy role that fit him so well in Philadelphia.
Advertisement
Yao also thanked his early mentors in China, former National Basketball Association cCommissioner David Stern for his vision in wanting Yao to play in the league, as well his first teammates on the Houston Rockets. “My teammates and my coaches”, said the former NBA Rookie of the Year and 2001 Most Valuable Player. Thursday was press day, and as you might expect, the always-quotable A.I. had a fascinating media scrum.
