When Shaquille O'Neal was 10 years old, his father made a prediction.
Friday night when his son became a Hall of Famer, it was realised.
Shaq and Allen Iverson headlined the 10-member Class of 2016 enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
One of the most star-packed classes in recent memory, it also featured international star Yao Ming, WNBA great Sheryl Swoopes, coach Tom Izzo, and owner Jerry Reinsdorf, an architect in the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls championship teams of the 1990s.
"If I know my father, he's up there arguing with Wilt (Chamberlain) that his son is the best big man in the game," Shaq said.
Posthumous honorees were: 27-year NBA referee Darell Garretson; John McLendon, the first African-American coach in a professional league; Zelmo Beaty, the former NBA and ABA star who led Prairie View to an NAIA title in 1962; and Cumberland Posey, who is also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Shaq was an instant box office draw during his career because of his mammoth frame and rim-shaking dunks but he also exhibited a personality that was as playful was it was engaging. He showed that persoanlity off inthe final speech of the night.
Before host Ahmad Rashad could even introduce Iverson, the first mention of his name started a roar of cheers throughout the assembled audience.
Dressed in all black, former MVP known as "A.I.," blew kisses has tears began to form in his eyes.
"Thank God for loving me and blessing me," Iverson said.
"to be the man that I am and having no regrets for the man that I am. A man that my family loves, my teammates love and my fans love."
Fighting tears throughout, Iverson thanked former Georgetown coach John Thompson "for saving my life."
"(After) the incident happened in high school and all that was taken away...no other schools would recruit me anymore," Iverson recalled.
"My mom went to Georgetown and begged him to give me a chance. And he did."
He said he later left Georgetown only as "an OK basketball player."
