The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is home to the greatest players the sport has ever seen, and every year, a new crop of deserving figures dons the exclusive orange jacket. The 2016 class is remembered to this day for one iconic moment.
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Allen Iverson and Yao Ming were among the Hall’s inductees that year along with Shaquille O’Neal and WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes. Despite their various career accolades, nothing could match the experience of entering the Hall of Fame.
The selection committee invited Yao Ming to speak first. Though English isn’t his first language, he had no problem igniting the audience in a roar of laughter seconds into his speech.
“When I heard I would be the first speaker tonight, I thought maybe somebody made a mistake,” Yao said. “I think this spot belongs to the great Allen Iverson. You know why? Because I need more practice than him.”
Iverson acknowledged Yao’s comments with a hearty laugh of his own. This wasn’t just an ode to Iverson’s talent; it was also a nod to the Philadelphia 76ers legend’s rant during a 2002 press conference.
At the time, Iverson was facing numerous rumors and backlash for his practice habits. He couldn’t handle the narratives the media was pushing any longer and addressed everything all at once.
“I know it’s important, I do, I honestly do, but we talkin’ bout practice, man. What are we talking about? Practice? We talkin’ about practice, man. We ain’t talking about the game, we talkin’ about practice, man,” Iverson started, but he didn’t stop there.
AI went on, “Anybody tell you that I missed practice. If a coach say I missed practice, and y’all hear it, then that’s that. I mean, I might’ve missed one practice this year, but if somebody say, ‘He doesn’t come to practice’ — it can be one practice out of all the practices this year — that’s enough. That’s enough to get a whole lot started. I mean it’s just … that’s enough.”
“We sitting in here,” Iverson continued. “I supposed to be the franchise player, and we in here talking about practice. I mean listen, we talking about practice. Not a game, not a game, not a game, we talking about practice. Not a game, not the game that I go out there and die for and play every game like it’s my last. Not the game. We talking about practice, man. I mean, how silly is that?”
His epic rant became a staple drop in NBA culture and is one of the most defining moments of Iverson’s career.
Iverson followed up Ming’s speech with a different approach. He didn’t mention Yao but gave special acknowledgment to another legendary player.
“There wouldn’t be an Allen Iverson standing at this podium without this guy. You want to be fast like Isiah. You want to shoot like Bird, rebound like Barkley, pass like Magic, be dominant like Shaq. But man, I wanted to be like Mike,” Iverson said.
Iverson and Yao both stamped themselves into the Hall of Fame with speeches that will be remembered forever. They might not be the closest of friends, but they shared enormous respect for one another as competitors.
The two went head-to-head nine times in their career, with Yao topping Iverson 7-2 in those games. Iverson averaged 23.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists, while Yao put up 19.9 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in those contests.
Despite their different positions, when these two went against each other, it was must-watch TV. Years following their retirement, their legacies continue to live on even away from the basketball court.
