On Sept. 11, the basketball community welcomed the class of 2015 into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. The 11 inductees were from a variety of organizations such as the NBA, WNBA and NCAA, and contributed to the sport in many ways. Players, coaches, and even a referee were among those honored.
Lisa Leslie was the only woman to be inducted into this year’s class. Leslie played in the WNBA for 12 years and was an All-Star for eight of those years. Leslie was a high-impact player and a key figure in leading the Los Angeles Sparks to consecutive WNBA championships in 2001 and 2002. She made the first or second team All-WNBA list every year of her career. At 6 feet 5 inches tall, Leslie was an excellent rim defender and consistently one of the best centers in the league.
Dikembe Mutombo was an NBA center that played for the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets. Born in the Congo, Mutombo received a scholarship when he was 18 to play basketball at Georgetown University.
At 7 feet 2 inches tall, Mutombo towered over everyone on the court. While he was a productive offensive player throughout his career, Mutombo was known for his defensive prowess. He was a monster at gathering defensive rebounds, and he is perhaps the best-shot blocker of all time. Mutombo had a long career, lasting 18 seasons in the NBA. He was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time block leader and a two-time rebound leader. Outside of basketball, he is known for his humanitarian work done in his home country.
Joseph “Jo Jo” White accomplished many feats in his basketball career. After having a great collegiate career at the University of Kansas, White was selected to play on the 1968 men’s Olympic team. The team surprised everyone by going undefeated to upset Yugoslavia in the finals and win the gold medal.
White then began his storied career as a Boston Celtic. White helped lead the Celtics to NBA titles in 1974 and 1976, winning the MVP Finals honors in ‘76. His performance in game five of the 1976 Finals is his defining moment as a Celtic. In triple overtime, he led the Celtics to a 128-126 victory over the Phoenix Suns. White had 33 points, nine assists and had 60 minutes of playing time. Many basketball enthusiasts refer to the contest as “the greatest game ever played.” His jersey, No. 10, is retired by the Celtics and hangs in the rafters at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
There are many famous Iron man streaks in the world of sports. There was Brett Favre’s 297 consecutive NFL games started and A.C. Green playing in 1,192 consecutive NBA games. But no streak is quite like Dick Bavetta, who served as a referee for 39 years and officiated over 2,600 consecutive games.
Bavetta saw many sights during his career. In 1992, he was the first NBA official to participate in the Olympics. In 2006, while officiating a game between the Knicks and Nuggets, a fight broke out that was so fierce Bavetta and his crew ejected all 10 players on the court. Seven of them later served suspensions handed down by the NBA commissioner at the time.
Bavetta’s most memorable moment was in a prime-time game between the Celtics and 76ers. After his partner broke his leg in a collision with Celtics guard Dennis Johnson, Bavetta had to officiate the game by himself.
Later in that same game, he had to eject Larry Bird and Julius Erving after they broke out in a fight. Being able to stay in control of the game by himself between two fierce divisional foes and some of the biggest stars in the history of the sport is what elevated Bavetta to prominence as the premier official in the NBA.
John Calipari made the Hall of Fame for his contributions as a college coach. While he was unsuccessful in his short stint as an NBA coach, Calipari has been phenomenal at every college he has coached at. He led both the University of Massachusetts and University of Memphis to Final Four appearances while coaching there.
As the current coach at the University of Kentucky, he has led the team to four Final Four appearances in the last five years. This last season was perhaps his best, as the Wildcats started 38-0 before a heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin in the Final Four.
Calipari has also been excellent in developing NBA talent. Calipari has had 37 of his collegiate players drafted including superstars such as Derrick Rose, DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall and more. When Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd Gilchrist were selected No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in the 2012 NBA Draft, it was the only time that a collegiate coach had two of his players taken in the top two picks of the NBA Draft.
Spencer Haywood played for three different leagues during his 14-year professional career. He played for the Denver Rockets his rookie year of the ABA. He then spent 12 of the next 13 years playing in the NBA, with one year spent in the Lega Basket Serie A league in Italy.
Haywood was one of the best offensive big men of his time. At 6 feet 8 inches tall, the power forward averaged 19 points and nine rebounds a game during his career. In 1980, Haywood became an NBA champion as a member of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers. After the Finals, then-Lakers head coach Paul Westhead dismissed Haywood from the team due to drug issues. This led to Haywood’s year in Italy as he tried to recollect himself. He managed to return to the NBA for two years with the Washington Bullets before retiring.
Next year’s hall of fame class is expected to be an unforgettable one. After much debate about Allen Iverson’s eligibility, it was recently announced that Iverson will be eligible for the NBA Hall of Fame. Iverson played 14 seasons in the NBA, highlighted by 11 All-Star game appearances, four scoring titles and the NBA MVP in the 2001 season as he led the 76ers into his only Finals appearance, where he came up short against the Lakers. Iverson’s popularity amongst fans and colorful personality, along with his career statistics, will make him a first ballot hall of famer sooner than later.
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