76ers' Allen Iverson elected to Basketball Hall of Fame

The answer is yes.

Former Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson was elected Monday morning to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Iverson joins Shaquille O'Neal, Tom Izzo, Sheryl Swoopes, Yao Ming and Jerry Reinsdorf as entrants.

Iverson, a nine-time all-star, played with the Sixers from 1996 to 2006 and during the 2009-10 season. He also had stints with the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and Memphis Grizzlies during his NBA career. Iverson briefly played for Besiktas Milangaz of the Turkish Basketball League in 2010-11.

He averaged 26.7 points per game in his NBA career and carried the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001.

"I'm just proud of the people that helped me, just for it be a debate if I'm going to be a Hall of Famer or not," Iverson said after the February ceremony announcing the finalists. "I'm just proud of my family and friends and my fans that helped me get to this point."

Iverson was among 14 finalists. The other first-time finalists included O'Neal, longtime referee Garretson, Michigan State coach Izzo, McLendon (first African-American coach in a pro league), and four-time WNBA champion Swoopes, and 10-time AAU national women's champ Wayland Baptist University.

Also named finalists were three-time NBA all-star Kevin Johnson and former college coaches Lefty Driesell and Eddie Sutton.

The Class of 2016 will be enshrined during Hall of Fame festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Sept. 8-10.

Inquirer sports writer Keith Pompey and wire services contributed to this report.