Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announces 2016 class candidates

Eligible candidates for the Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2016 class have been announced, headlined by Shaquille O’Neal, Yao Ming, and Allen Iverson.

The Basketball Hall of Fame inductees have been announced on Monday, which marks the 124th anniversary of the sport. In addition to announcing the candidates for the 2016 class, the Naismith Memorial also changed the election process: potential honorees are eligible after four seasons of retirement. The finalists will be announced at the NBA All-Star Game in Toronto on February 12.

The official website has a long list of candidates, so here are the most notable selections.

For the North American class, the most noteworthy players on the ballot list are Tim Hardaway, Allen Iverson, and Shaquille O’Neal. Both Shaq and Iverson are first-time nominees, and should be strongly considered as finalists. Shaq is most well-known for being part of the Lakers’ three-peat from 2000-2002 with Kobe Bryant. He’s had an illustrious career as a player and is rightfully regarded as one of the most dominant centers of all-time. He’s a much more talented player than NBA on TNT analyst, and he was always going to end up in the Hall of Fame – it was just a matter of when.

Allen Iverson never won a championship in his career, but that shouldn’t take away from his individual success. He took the 76ers to new heights, especially in his MVP-winning season in 2001 when they came up just short against Shaq’s Lakers. He has over 24,000 career points (averaging 26.7 per game), was an 11-time All-Star, a Rookie of the Year, and has his number retired by the 76ers. And of course, all of his points came in a game, and not practice.

On the International Committee ballot is Yao Ming, whose accomplishments aren’t just due to his height. The Asian market has become a boon for the NBA, mostly because of Yao. When he first arrived, people paid to see him the way they paid to see the Lakers during their three-peat years or the Harlem Globetrotters. He was an extremely talented athlete with a likable personality and is an 8-time All-Star. He had a notable confrontation with Shaq back in 2003, when Shaq said “Tell Yao Ming, Ching chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.” In the game, Yao blocked Shaq twice and scored a game-winning dunk in overtime. Yao Ming should be credited for bringing a large market to the NBA.

There are several coaches up for the Class of 2016 ballot, the most notable ones being Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Tiger Jones, Gary McKnight, Dick Motta, and Glenn Robinson. Three of the candidates – Izzo, Jones, and McKnight – are first-time nominees.

Dick Motta has an outstanding coaching record. His 935 career coaching with the Bulls, Bullets, and Mavericks wins is top 10 all-time. His greatest achievement came in 1978 when he coached the underdog Washington Bullets to a title, making the phrase “It ain’t over till the fat lady sings” mainstream.

Bo Ryan recently announced his retirement from Wisconsin basketball after serving 14 years there as a head coach (and 8 as an assistant). He never won an NCAA Tournament, but he made back-to-back trips to the Final Four in 2014 and 2015, where his team became the only one to defeat Kentucky that year and advance to the Championship Game. It’s been a tough year for the Badgers, who are out of the Top 25 and currently boast a 7-5 record.

Tom Izzo, or Mr. March, is regarded as one of the best college basketball coaches of all-time. He was with Michigan State since 1983, becoming a head coach in 1995. With the Spartans, he won a March Madness title in 2000. He has 7 Final Four appearances, most recently guiding a seventh-seeded Spartans team to the Final Four in 2015 although they would eventually fall to Duke. As of this season, his team is the consensus number 1, have already taken down Kansas, and senior Denzel Valentine is playing like the best player in the country.

The list of talent in the Basketball Hall of Fame class is immense, and the election committee will have a very hard time in choosing the Finalists. Whoever they do choose will be more than deserving of the honor.