SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Allen Iverson was about 90 minutes late for his own Hall of Fame induction news conference. Iverson fought so hard to get that bright orange approval stamp on his illustrious career, to reach the pinnacle that his numerous detractors never saw coming, and he couldn’t even show up on time. The ceremony was delayed before he was declared a no-show.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo sat for an interview in a not-so-transparent stall tactic, but the show had to go on. The other members of the stellar 2016 class – which includes Shaquille O’Neal, Yao Ming, Sheryl Swoopes and Tom Izzo – couldn’t go by Iverson Time to receive their newly designed “Naismith Orange” jackets.

Iverson’s absence was later explained as a travel mishap that would be cleared up before Friday’s induction ceremony. But any disappointment or eye-rolling about Iverson missing part of a moment he earned against long odds could easily be diffused with one simple fact: Allen Iverson is going to always be Allen Iverson. The surprise would’ve been if Iverson weren’t tardy.

O’Neal sat down with reporters afterward and shook his head when he was asked the question that most in attendance were thinking: Where’s Allen?

“That’s crazy. I don’t know how you miss this,” O’Neal said, before summoning the ghost of Iverson’s infamous “practice” rant. “Hall of Fame? I’m a franchise player, you’re talking about the Hall of Fame?!?”

A few minutes after O’Neal expressed his confusion, Iverson entered the Hall rocking his trademark look – a fitted New York Yankees cap placed neatly on his braided hair, a black T-shirt, faded jeans and enough diamond-encrusted gold dangling around his neck to make Mr. T cover his eyes from the glare.

Iverson then slipped on his Hall of Fame jacket, sat down and reminded everyone in the room why his game was only part of the reason that he remains a beloved and complicated figure six years since his last NBA game. Though annoyed by the first question – an inquiry about what held him up, which he explained as “a personal situation … family” – Iverson was sincere, beguiling and cracked a few jokes for more than 30 minutes, then ended the session by wiping tears from his eyes and walking away.

View photos Allen Iverson in his Hall of Fame jacket. (Getty) More

“I’m uncomfortable,” said the notoriously suit-allergic Iverson as he looked down at his clothing. “But this is a jacket, when it comes to suits, I would always remember and cherish because of the significance of it. Little young guys can look at the obstacles that I had to go through to become a Hall of Famer and know that it’s not so bad. What makes me feel good is that all of the people that rooted for A.I. get a chance to say, ‘He did what you never thought he could do.’ This is a moment that me and my fans, and my family and friends, can share with each other, because we always believed in the dream.”

When he received word last spring that he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Iverson was so overwhelmed that he thought about all of those nights when – despite his hardened exterior – he shed tears over criticism he faced as he tried to navigate through a life for which no one could fully prepare, especially someone who escaped a neglected part of a former shipping town in southeast Virginia. But on the day he was recognized for his 11 All-Star appearances, four scoring titles and one MVP award, Iverson wept with the joy of fulfillment because “the naysayers, they helped me, too. … All of the people that criticized everything about what I’ve done in my career, they can’t take this from me. All the barbershop talk, and all that stuff, the ones that support me can say, ‘This guy was immortalized, by being a Hall of Famer.’”

Iverson mentioned the challenges he faced in 1996 after going first overall from Georgetown to the Philadelphia 76ers, a team he was only ecstatic about joining because his de facto father, Michael Freeman, was a fan. He then listed the greats that he had to follow – Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Bobby Jones, Billy Cunningham – so soon after turning 21.

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