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On Friday, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ruled that former Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson would be eligible for induction in 2016.
Important Hall development: Allen Iverson ruled eligible for nomination for the Class of 2016. His Turkey stint will be disregarded. #76ers
— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) September 11, 2015
According to the Hall's website, a player "must be fully retired for five years before being eligible for [e]nshrinement." Iverson finished his NBA career in 2010, but played 10 games with Bestikas in the Turkish Basketball League at the start of the 2010-11 season.
The Hall has the option to review cases like Iverson's on an individual basis, and in this case, the organization has chosen to omit his brief stint in Turkey that would have delayed his eligibility until 2017.
Hall officials made a judgement call. Decision was 10 games in 2009-10 did not count as a season. Could have pushed AI back a year for HoF.
— Scott Howard-Cooper (@SHowardCooper) September 11, 2015
Iverson - the 2000-01 NBA MVP - is widely considered to be one of the greatest guards to ever play the game, and will likely be inducted on the first ballot. In 14 NBA seasons, Iverson won four scoring titles, was named to 11 All-Star teams and earned All-NBA honors on seven occasions. For his career, the former Georgetown star scored 24,368 points (28th all-time), dished out 5,624 assists (43rd) and collected 1,983 steals (13th).