The question of who will present Allen Iverson at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday has been answered (no pun intended).
And it won't just be one person, it will be three people, all of whom are close to Iverson and already enshrined in the hall.
Former Sixers coach Larry Brown, former Georgetown coach John Thompson and Sixers legend Julius Erving will all present A.I. before he's inducted this Friday night in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Brown (class of 2002) took over the Sixers in 1997, Iverson's second year in the NBA, and stayed with the team until 2003. During that time, Brown was widely known as one of the few people who could get through to Iverson, a well-known explosive personality during those years. The two teamed up to lead the Sixers to their most successful stretch in recent memory. That stretch included a trip to the 2001 NBA Finals and the 2001 league MVP for Iverson. Brown is known as a mentor to Iverson and the two are still close to this day.
Thompson (class of 1999) was the coach at Georgetown during Iverson's two seasons there in 1995 and 1996. Under Thompson, who finished his career with 596 victories at Georgetown, Iverson's Hoyas reached the Sweet 16 in 1995 and the Elite Eight in 1996. "The Answer" averaged 22.9 points per game in his two seasons with the Hoyas. Of course, Iverson was the first overall pick of the Sixers in the 1996 draft after foregoing his final two collegiate seasons.
What more needs to be said about Erving (class of 1993)? One of the greatest players in NBA history and a member of the 1983 world champion Sixers, Erving has continued to be a presence in the organization for the last several years.
On a related note, former Sixer Dikembe Mutumbo — along with Bill Russell and Bill Walton — will present inductee Yao Ming at the ceremony.