After the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame officially announced this year's finalists for induction, one of the game's most polarizing and celebrated figures will be that much closer to being recognized among the sport's grandest players.

While dominant 7-footers Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming also headline the class, it's the triumph of 6-foot-flat Allen Iverson to continually overcome his critics and represent a new look, attitude and style of play that'll fuel his eventual induction with such a sense of accomplishment. Along the way, he undoubtedly inspired a future generation.

"I mean, it's just an honor," Iverson initially downplayed in an interview with The Vertical last week, before pausing to really take in the magnitude of the moment. "I'd be lying to you, and I might not've said it publicly [along the way], but it's something that you think about as you get better and better. As you start accomplishing so many different things, in your mind, you're thinking, 'Damn, I can be a Rookie of the Year if I work hard.' Or, 'I can make the Olympic team.' Or, 'I can make the All-Star team.' Then, after you accomplish all of those things, after awhile, you know how good you are because of just your production. … I used to say, 'Wouldn't it be crazy, I could be a Hall of Famer?'"

It might not sound so crazy any longer, as Iverson is expected to join the 361 players, coaches, referees and contributors already inducted into the Hall, later this fall, during the annual enshrinement ceremony held every September.

View photos Allen Iverson changed not only the NBA's style of play, but also its culture. (Getty Images) More

It'll be just beyond the 20th anniversary of Iverson's selection as the first overall pick in a decorated 1996 NBA draft class – and also 20 years after his landmark endorsement deal that made him the face of Reebok Basketball. In a shoe deal negotiated by his then-agent David Falk, who also represented Michael Jordan at the time, AI was given the "highest guarantee that anyone had ever gotten in shoes" as a rookie, according to Falk.

At his peak, Iverson was one of the game's most prolific and inventive scorers, a volume shooter who played against today's more conventional and efficiency-minded principles. His gunning style tallied him four scoring titles, and his 29.7 points per game in the playoffs is second only to his idol, Jordan.

"God gave me all this, why waste the talent that he gave me?" he said "Why not go full throttle with it all and try to become in the class with the greatest players that ever played the game? That's just a great feeling. Then, you think about all of the guys, teammates and coaches, fans and family members and friends – everybody that helped you get there – because it's a tribute to them too. Once it happens, if it happens, they're going to get all of the credit, because without all of those people that I mentioned, it wouldn't be possible."

While Iverson loves to credit those around him along the way, he's also learned to not stress his detractors, which he admits took him years to come to terms with. "Allen Iverson should concentrate on the ones that love him," he said, laughing while referencing himself in third person, in true AI fashion. During his playing career, he hadn't yet developed that thick skin, as he took the constant criticism to heart for things like his cornrows, his tattoos, his brashness, and of course, his thoughts on practice.

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