The star-studded ceremony was held at the historic Springfield Symphony Hall before a packed house of basketball officials and fans of the game.
O’Neal becomes the third player and the sixth player or coach with LSU ties to be inducted into the sport’s premier shrine joining players Bob Pettit (1971) and Pete Maravich (1987). Two of LSU’s head women’s basketball coaches are also enshrined – the late Sue Gunter (2005) and Van Chancellor (2007). Tex Winter, who served a short time as an assistant with Dale Brown, was inducted for his contributions to the game in 2011.
Joining O’Neal in the class were a diverse group of people who influenced the game on-and-off the floor: ABA superstar Zelmo Beaty, 27-year NBA referee Darell Garretson, 11-time NBA All-Star Allen Iverson, two-time NABC Coach of the Year Tom Izzo, the first African-American coach in a professional league John McLendon, early African American Pioneer Cumberland Posey, iconic Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, four-time WNBA Champion Sheryl Swoopes and global ambassador of the game Yao Ming.