INDIANA --- For three of the best NBA players in the 90s, it has truly been an incredible year as Shaquille O'neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming captured their sport's highest honor and were recently enshrined in the James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,
Unique and special in their own way, this accomplished trio left an indelible mark in the NBA and deserved to be in the pantheon of pro basketball's greatest achievers.
Shaquille O?Neal, the biggest of them all at a hulking 7-feet and 325 pounds during his prime, is a four-time NBA champion, winning the ultimate prize in 2001, 2001 and 2002 with the Los Angeles Lakers and in 2006 with the Miami Heat.
Shaq averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks
in 19 NBA seasons. He led the league in field goal percentage for 10 seasons and left the game ranked seventh in all-time scoring. The affable giant won Olympic gold in 1996 and was named among the NBA's 50 greatest players.
Allen Iverson, a diminutive 6-foot guard who dazzled the hoops world with his quickness and speed, was a nine-time All-Star and NBA MVP in 2001, the same year he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals.. The 165-pound juggernaut played for 14 seasons and averaged at 26.7 points and 6.2 assists per game.
A Georgetown University alum, AI was an All-American in college before becoming NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996-97 season.
At a mighty 7-foot-6, Yao Ming towered over opponents as basketball's version of "The Great Wall." The 310-pound center was the No.1 pick in the 2002 NBA draft Injuries limited him to nine NBA season, all with the Houston Rockets, but Yao averaged an impressive 19 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.9 blocks a game.
A veteran of international competition via the Chinese National Team, Yao parlayed that stout experience into six All-Star appearances and four all-NBA selections. (BP)
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