Iverson Selected as Finalist for 2016 Hall of Fame Class

At a press conference held earlier today during NBA All-Star Weekend, former Philadelphia 76ers' guard Allen Iverson was named as one of the 14 finalists for the 2016 Nasmith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Given his seven All-NBA nods and career totals of 24,368 points (28th all-time), 5,624 assists (43rd) and 1,983 steals (13th), Iverson should be a relative lock for induction into Springfield later this summer.

Allen... pic.twitter.com/VcuLxGFXt4

— Mike Prada (@MikePradaSBN) February 12, 2016

Iverson, winner of the 2001 NBA MVP award, was one of three NBA players chosen by the Hall of Fame's North American selection committee: Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Johnson also made the cut during the latest round of voting. Former Rockets' center Yao Ming eligible for induction this year as an international candidate, and all signs point to the Hall giving him the nod following a separate selection in April.

"Each finalist in the Class of 2016 has had a distinct impact on the game we all love,"  said Hall of Fame chairman and current Sixers' advisor Jerry Colangelo. "Selecting the enshrinees for the Class of 2016 will be a challenging task."

The impressive list of potential inductees includes WNBA great Sheryl Swoopes, as well as legendary college coaches Tom Izzo, Lefty Driesell, Bo Ryan, Eddie Sutton and Muffet McGraw.

The finalists for the 2016 Hall of Fame class will be announced in April during Final Four weekend in Houston, Texas.