Few who play the game of basketball will ultimately make it into the exclusive company residing in the memorial basketball hall of fame. The James Naismith Baketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts since 1959 has honored the best players, coaches and referees from the NBA. The 2008 Hall of Fame basketball picks were all legendary players and the recently announce 2009 class will included the widely-recognized best of all time, Michael Jordan.
We’ve watched them all light up the basketball scoreboards and we’ve seen their face all over… now, here are a few facts about some incredible basketball players who grace the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The basketball Hall of Fame enshrined three great players in 2008. Hakeem Olajuwon was elected to the hall in his first year of eligibility. He is one of the best, if not the best, center to have ever played the game. Coming from Nigeria into Texas, he dominated at the center position in college and then in the NBA. Nicknamed “The Dream,” Olajuwon was the first pick in 1984 in what may have been the best draft class ever, including standouts Jordan, John Stockton and Charles Barkley. After a stellar college career, Olajuwon lead the Houston Rockets to the NBA Finals in 1986 and helped them win the finals back-to-back in 1994 and 1995. He ended his career as one of the most deserving basketball hall of fame members, leading the league with the most blocks in the history of the game along with being one of the top ten scorers in the league. Also elected in 2008 were Adrian Dantley and a chief rival of Olajuwon’s, Patrick Ewing the center of the New York Knicks for so many years. In 2008 Hall of Fame basketball was treated to an excellent class.
The 2009 class is probably the strongest in the Hall of Fame basketball history. Leading the class is Michael Jordan, who had to wait an extra year because he kept playing (players must be retired 5 years before they are enshrined). Jordan is the class of the league and lead the Chicago Bulls to an NBA title a record six times. He was the face of the NBA during the 1990s, when the league came of age as a major player in the pantheon of sports. He was a scoring monster, the MVP of the NBA a record five seasons, the finals MVP a record six times, and dominated for the US at the Olympics as a member of the legendary 1992 “Dream Team.” After his absence the league went through withdrawals, clamoring for a player that would draw the attention of Jordan. They are still waiting.
Jordan is the only player that would put John Stockton as the also-ran into the Hall of Fame basketball. Stockton, perhaps one of the three best point guards in the game and another draftee from the legendary 1984 draft, was never voted league MVP only because he played during the Jordan era. He left the league as the all-time assists leader and as the all-time steals leader. The hard-nose guard player all 16 seasons with the Utah Jazz, most alongside power forward Karl Marlone.
The last player elected to join the other basketball Hall of Fame members in 2009 is the smiling David Robinson. The face of the San Antonion Spurs for so many years is known for his good demeanor as much as anything. He was voted the league MVP once and with the help of newly drafted Tim Duncan, won the NBA Finals in 1999 and 2003.