During an interview with NBA writer Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Dwyane Wade revealed why he chose Allen Iverson to present him into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“It was important to me that I touched the culture when I did this,” Wade said. “And Allen Iverson is somebody who gets forgotten for what he means to this game and what he means to a community and to a culture. And so, I want to bring that back to the front in the forefront and give him his flowers like he deserved and just tell him how important he was, man, to not only me, but to all the little boys that looked like me and look like him.
“He probably doesn’t get the chance to hear that all the time. We talk about [Michael] Jordan all the time. We talk about LeBron [James], we talk about Kobe [Bryant]. We don’t talk about A.I. He’s one of the [great] ones. So, I’m thankful that he said yeah, and I can’t wait for him to be the one to present me.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dwyane Wade & Allen Iverson Updates
Wade wore the No. 3 jersey because of Iverson, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. Iverson averaged 26.7 points and 6.2 assists during his legendary career with the Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies. He made 11 All-Star teams and seven All-NBA teams and won four scoring titles and the 2000-01 MVP Award.
Meanwhile, Wade finished his NBA career with averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists with the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. He made 13 All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams and three All-Defensive teams and won one scoring title and one Finals MVP Award.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dwyane Wade & Allen Iverson Updates
Wade played in five NBA Finals and won three titles with the Heat. He is universally recognized as the third-best shooting guard in NBA history behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
