Class of 2008 Hall of Fame
Earlier this morning in San Antonio, the Naismith Hall of Fame announced that they will induct one of the greatest single classes in the history of the Hall:
* Patrick Ewing – 11-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year ’85-86, 1st Team All-NBA ’89-90 – 21.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.4 bpg, 50.4% FG
* Hakeem Olajuwon – 2-time Defensive Player of the Year (’92-93, ’93-94), 2-time NBA Finals MVP (’93-94, ’94-95), NBA MVP ’93-94, 12-time All-Star – 21.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.1 bpg, 51.2 FG%
* Adrian Dantley – 2-time NBA leader in points scored (2452 in ’80-81, 2418 in ’83-84) and points per game (30.6 both years), Rookie of the Year ’76-77, 6-time NBA All-Star – 24.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 54%
* Pat Riley – 7-time NBA Champion, member of the 1966 Kentucky team to lose to Texas Western
* Dick Vitale – Pillar of basketball broadcasting
* Cathy Rush – Women’s basketball pioneer, Immaculata head coach
* Bill Davidson – Detroit Pistons and Shock owner
This is the Hall of Fame. Every year’s class is stacked. But the Ewing/Dream/Dantley trio is really second to none. Collectively, they’ve made 29 All-Star games, scored 74,938 points, and 30,809 rebounds. Within the last twenty years, there are only two classes that have players whose legacies compare to the ’08 honorees. In 2006, Charles Barkley, Joe Dumars, and Dominique Wilkins all made it in together. And rewind back to 1990 for the four-man class of Donald Neil Johnston, Dave Bing, Elvin Hayes, and Earl Monroe.
In the 16th year since his retirement, Adrian Dantley’s #4 hangs in the rafters at Utah’s EnergySolutions Arena and finally in Springfield, Mass.
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April 7th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
AY says:
i can’t believe they’re going to finally stop robbing dantley his hof entry.
April 7th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
who votes for this?
when is dennis rodman going to get in?
April 7th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Celts Fan says:
is the Worm even eligible yet? (and yes, he should be in whenever he is eligible)
April 7th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
dennis rodman didn’t play after 2002
he should be eligible
April 7th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
GEE...if 30 is the new 20 is 20 the new 10? says:
That is cool the Dream and Patrick going in together.
Two great centers.
Jose Calderon got snubbed again?
April 7th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
marcus the great says:
bout time for AD
April 7th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
JA says:
I’m still torn over if a player should retire on a high note before their game/body all falls apart, or if they should play until the wheels fall off.
With Ewing as an example, should he have retired after the 99-00 season – his last as a Knick – out of principal? Or was he right to go play a year in Seattle and then another in Orlando before hanging it up?
If he retired then not only would his 21ppg, 9.8rpg and 2.45bpg have been 22.8ppg, 10.4rpg and 2.65bpg (even more impressive), but he would have been a Knick for life (something I would have admired just as much if not more than the stats).
April 7th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
JA
ewing last yr in ny was 2000; not ’99
and them bums in ny traded him. its not like he signed a new fa contract with the sonics
April 7th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
JA says:
That’s why I said I think he perhaps should have retired out of principal.
April 7th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
d says:
Dick Vitale: pillar of basketball broadcasting? How about Advocate for Duke and UNC? And bandwagon rider. And most-annoying national commentator.
April 7th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Korady says:
Just out of curiosity, when is Michael eligible and who could go in with him? I would imagine that whatever class he is in has a chance to be the best ever
April 7th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Austin Burton says:
Jordan and David Robinson retired the same year, I believe. That was also Shawn Kemp’s last year.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
dagwaller says:
Good one, Gee
April 8th, 2008 at 8:50 am
doc says:
They all deserve it.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Eric says:
Dennis Johnson…Dennis Johnson…Dennis Johnson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8sAyIZiPJ0
April 8th, 2008 at 9:31 am
pat says:
Not only does next year’s class include Jordan and D. Robinson, both consensus first-ballot choices, and perhaps Kemp (although that’s not by any means a sure thing), but also Stockton, another consensus first-ballot choice as well; that is, an even greater class coming–if only by the inclusion of Jordan
April 8th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Bust Jlaze says:
Kemp? Nah…I’d love to see it but it just don’t add up.
DJ ain’t in? VITALE gets the nod, but not DJ??? Wow…
April 8th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Reed Ewing Frazier says:
d- I couldn’t agree more! Everytime Dick”Ride” Vitale is on T.V. I turn the volume down and listen to music during the game.
Congrats to Pat Ewing And Akeem the Dream on the HOF but you cats got short term memories on why they did not retire as a Knick or a Rocket both of them did not want to accept being roll players so the teams called their bluffs and traded they asses which in hindsight was the right thing because they got injured and sucked after they left those teams. I’m still mad at Pat for playing in that Eastern Conference Final against Indiana when he didn’t need to got injured and couldn’t play in the Finals against San Antonio He would have made a difference in that series but oh well Knicks UP all the rest down!!
April 8th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
rangerjohn says:
eric you are correct DJ should have gotten in for sure.