Different aspects of players go into whether or not they make a professional hall of fame, no matter the sport.

When it comes to basketball there are so many different aspects of a player you have to take into consideration to determinate whether they should be voted into the Professional Basketball Hall of Fame or not.

Allen Iverson is one of those players whose every aspect of his character will be examined before he is voted on.

After the recent retirement of Iverson’s No. 3 jersey in Philadelphia, do you think Iverson deserves to get voted into the Hall of Fame?

Brendan and Ryan debate whether they think Iverson will make the hall.

Brendan:
Winning an NBA title does not always determine if a player should be inducted into the hall of fame or not and Allen Iverson is a prime example.

When you look back at Iverson’s career it is easy to compare him with the greatest players who have walked into the court. Even though Iverson was short for an NBA player, listed at 6 feet tall, he is considered one of the greatest scorers in the history of the NBA.

Taken as the first pick overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, Iverson has many accolades throughout his marvelous career including rookie of the year in his first season with the 76ers.

He won the scoring title four times, which is one of the most sought-after awards among players. Iverson was an 11-time all-star. During the 2000s he was in every all-star game from 2000 to 2010.

Iverson had arguably his best year during the 2000-2001 season. He carried the 76ers to the NBA finals but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Iverson won the NBA’s MVP that year and also was the leading scorer.

When you look at the three most important stats in basketball, points, rebounds and assists you cannot help but notice how impressive Iverson’s stats are. He recorded a total of 24,368 points, 3,394 rebounds and 5,624 assists.

Sure Iverson experienced run-ins with the law including an arrest in 1997 for carrying a concealed weapon and possession of marijuana but those issues do not define what kind of player he was.

When you forget about all the stuff that’s happened off the court and focus on what he has done on the court, he deserves to be recognized for his talents and be enshrined into the NBA Hall of Fame.

Ryan:
Brendan, you point out good aspects of Iverson’s playing career and I agree with you that he should get into the Hall of Fame, but I do not think he will be a first ballot candidate.

Iverson was a great player, regardless of the team he played on but he had too many off the court issues that have the potential to taint his résumé.

I am a big 76ers fan, and I was blessed to be able to watch him when he played with the Sixers when I was young. I was a huge Iverson fan but all of the off court issues could hurt him.

I do not think his character out of basketball should dictate whether he is voted into the Hall of Fame but unfortunately it has the potential to.

“The Answer” did great things for the city of Philadelphia. Philly loved him and he loved Philly, but he had too many run-ins with the law.

Iverson had four noticeable altercations with the law and the biggest one that is going to hurt his chances of becoming a Hall of Fame inductee is when he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and for possession of marijuana. Iverson never did any jail time, just community service.

The Honors Committee, the voters who decide if a player is elected to the Hall of Fame, are going to remember things like that and it could hurt Iverson.

I think Iverson was a great player and he deserves to make it into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and I think eventually he will, just not the first time he is on the ballot.

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