The players, coaches and teams chosen for induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, class of 2010 includes "The Mailman" Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, and the legendary 1992 Olympic "Dream Team."
Karl Malone
An NBA all-star fourteen times over and two-time MVP, Malone is second only to Kareem on the league's all-time scoring list. He won two Olympic gold medals as well -- in 1992, as part of the "Dream Team" and again in 1996. "The Mailman" was named to the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list in 1996.
Scottie Pippen
Likely the greatest "second banana" in NBA history, Scottie Pippen is best known as "Robin" to Michael Jordan's Batman. But to think of Pippen purely as a complementary player is to do his career accomplishments a great disservice. A seven-time all-star and six-time NBA champion, Pippen was one of the best perimeter defenders of his era and versatile enough to play the point when needed. Like Malone, he will be doubly honored -- both as an individual and as a member of the 1992 Olympic "Dream Team."
Dennis Johnson
One of the league's top defenders, Johnson helped lead the 1979 Seattle Sonics and 1984 and 86 Celtics to NBA Titles. "DJ" was named to nine consecutive all-defense teams, five all-star teams and was the '79 Finals MVP. Johnson passed away in 2007.
1992 U.S. Olympic Team - "The Dream Team"
In 1992, USA Basketball opted to send professionals to the Olympics for the first time -- and they certainly didn't skimp on talent. The "Dream Team" featured such an incredible wealth of talent that -- legend has it -- their intra-squad scrimmages were some of the most competitive basketball games ever played. The Dream Team roster featured ten future hall-of-famers (including 2010 inductees Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone and 2009 inductees Michael Jordan, John Stockton and David Robinson) and the staff boasted three more in head coach Chuck Daly and assistants Lenny Wilkens and Mike Krzyzewski.
1960 U.S. Olympic Team
One of the most dominant teams in the history of international basketball, the Americans romped through the field at the Rome Olympics, winning by an average margin of over 42 points. Ten of the twelve players on Team USA went on to play professionally -- including all-time NBA greats Jerry West and Oscar Robertson.
Dr. Jerry Buss
Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers since 1979, Dr. Buss' tenure includes both the Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul Jabbar "Showtime" teams and the more recent Phil Jackson/Kobe Bryant/Shaquille O'Neal teams. The Lakers have won nine NBA titles and sixteen Western Conference championships on his watch.
Bob Hurley
A legend among coaches at any level, Bob Hurley has led St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City, New Jersey to 25 State Parochial School championships, three USA Today national titles and over 900 wins.
Cynthia Cooper
One of the WNBA's first superstars, Cynthia Cooper led the Houston Comets to the league's first four championships and was twice named MVP. She retired in 2003, and today coaches the team at Prairie View A&M.
Gus Johnson
Johnson was a fixture on the Bullets of the '60s, leading Baltimore to the playoffs five times. The five-time NBA all-star finished his career with the ABA's Pacers, helping Indiana win a league title in 1973. Johnson passed away in 1987.
Maciel "Ubiratan" Pereira
Known as "The King" in his native Brazil, Pereira led his teams to five South American championships, eleven Sao Paulo league titles and was an eight-time medalist in Olympic, World Championship and Pan-American Games competition. He died in 2002.
No comments:
Post a Comment