Allen Iverson "video bomb" Shaq interview by Isiah Thomas *FULL

Two wildly popular basketball icons—one a pint-sized backcourt scorer, the other a 50-gallon drum of low-post diesel—have taken a major step toward entering the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame announced at its annual All-Star Weekend press event Friday that Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal are the headliners in the 2016 class of finalists for induction. Final selections for induction will be made during the NCAA Final Four in April. Iverson, 40, was a nine-time All-Star and four-time scoring champion who led the Sixers to the 2001 Finals. He retired from the NBA in 2010 with career averages of 26.7 PPG and 6.2 APG over 14 seasons before continuing his career overseas. O’Neal, 43, won four titles with the Lakers and Heat, earning 15 All-Star selections, an MVP and three Finals MVP awards before retiring in 2011. He averaged 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG and 2.3 BPG during a 19-year career. The contrasts between the two legends were evident when they were welcomed to a stage that was littered with Hall of Famers like Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas and Reggie Miller. Iverson struck a purposefully casual look, dressed in a blue Reebok T-shirt, gold chains, jeans and a navy New York Yankees hat. O’Neal wore a dark suit and tie, as if ready to take the set for TNT’s Inside The NBA. When the 6-foot Iverson, often called the NBA’s “pound for pound” best, hugged former NBA referee Dick Bavetta, the two men practically saw eye to eye. The larger-than-life O’Neal, meanwhile, drew a wisecrack about his size from Yao Ming, his fellow 7-footer.