The first wave of inductees for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has been announced and the undisputed headliner thus far is the recently resigned commissioner of the National Basketball Association, David Stern. Stern served in that capacity for thirty years, and during that time the NBA flourished becoming one of the biggest entities in all of sports. Not only did the players make a lot more money, they became a lot more famous, as ESPN analyst Colin Cowherd often stated, he made the names on the back of the jersey matter.
Stern will be joined International Committee selection, Sarunas Marciullonis from Lithuania. From 1981 to 1989 he played for Statyba Vilnius in the Soviet League and twice won the Lithuanian Championship. Internationally, he was a big part of the U.S.S.R.’s Gold Medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
With Lithuania breaking away from the Soviet Republic, Marciullonis joined the Golden State Warriors and would play for four teams in a nine year period, but again internationally he would make a huge impact as the man who resurrected the Lithuanian National Team. He did everything he could, including contacting players, negotiating shoe deals and other sponsorships. Literally, it can be argued that without him they would have never won the Bronze Medal in 1992 and again in 1996.
The ABA Committee has once again selected someone representing the Indiana Pacers as former Head Coach, Bob “Slick” Leonard will be inducted this year. Leonard coached the Pacers from 1968 and stayed with them through the move to the NBA. He was at the helm when Indiana won three ABA Championships.
Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton will also be inducted. He was chosen by the Early African-American Pioneers Committee and was one of the first black players in the NBA. Prior to joining the Association he was with the barnstorming New York Rens and the famed Harlem Globetrotters. He was an NBA All Star in 1957.
The final man who has already been chosen for the 2014 Basketball Hall of Fame Class is Guy Rodgers from the Veteran’s Committee. The Point Guard was a two tine Assists leader in the NBA as well as a four time All Star. Rodgers held the #98 spot on our list.
The Finalists for the Hall of Fame in the traditional vote was also announced. Alonzo Mourning who is in his first year of eligibility is the biggest name and the number #3 man on our Basketball list. Spencer Haywood, who was told that he was going to be inducted last year, returns as a Finalist and is ranked number #2 by us. Mitch Richmond (#9), Tim Hardaway (#10) and Kevin Johnson (#13) are also Finalists.
They are joined by NCAA coaches Nolan Richardson, Eddie Sutton and Gary Williams. The group is rounded out by Women’s Coach, Harley Redin and the three time AIAW champion in the 70’s, Immaculata University.
Our number one choice, Chris Webber was not chosen as a Finalist. As much as he has the statistics to make a Hall of Fame claim in both College and Pro, his banishment from the Michigan program after accepting funding from a local booster clearly played a part in his omission.
The announcement of the complete class will be announced on April 7th, prior to the Final Four.
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