Lakers Legend Shaquille O'Neal Among First-Time Nominees For Basketball Hall Of Fame
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The "Big Aristotle" is set to be immortalized in the Basketball Hall Of Fame.
Former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was joined by former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming and former Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson among the first-time nominees for the ballot announced Monday night.
O'Neal played for the Lakers from 1996 to 2004, helping them to three NBA championships before a simmering feud with Kobe Bryant paved the way for him to be traded to the Miami Heat, where he won another title with guard Dwayne Wade.
Repeat nominees with ties to Southern California include former UCLA players Marques Johnson, Swen Nater and Willie Naulls, former USC guards Mack Calvin and Paul Westphal, and former Inglewood High, Nevada Las Vegas and NBA standout Reggie Theus, who now coaches the Cal State Northridge Matadors.
The finalists from the North American and Women's committees will be announced Feb. 12 in connection with the NBA All-Star Game. The 2016 Hall of Fame class will be announced April 4, the date of the NCAA men's championship game.
The ballot announcement comes on the heels of a Hall of Fame change last week that allows potential honorees are eligible for the Hall of Fame after four full seasons of retirement instead of five.
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