Committee Chairman
2015 Basketball HOF Finalists announced
It is NBA All Star Game Weekend and with the sporting world tuned into the world of hoops it is the perfect time for them to announce the Finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Basketball Hall of Fame does not reflect only the Pro Game in the NBA but the International, College, and Women’s game. There are ten North American Finalists and two Women’s Finalists.
This year’s finalists are:
Dick Bavetta: The former NBA referee retired after the 2013/14 season after officiating 2,635 consecutive games, an iron man record for officials. He was a referee for 27 NBA Finals and was the first NBA referee to be a part of the Olympics when he officiated at the 1992 Summer Games.
John Calipari: A College coaching legend, John Calipari is a two time Naismith Coach of the Year (1996 and 2009) and is currently the Head Coach of Kentucky, who he took to the National Championship in 2012. If Calipari does not get in this year, based on the future of the Wildcats if he does not get into this year, he will eventually get in.
Bill Fitch: Coaching in the NBA for twenty-five years, Bill Fitch won the NBA Championship in 1981 with the Boston Celtics, and was the Head Coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers “Miracle At Richfield”. Fitch does have a losing record however as a professional coach, and there is a good chance he will passed over this year.
Tim Hardaway: Ranked at 11 by Notinhalloffame.com, Tim Hardaway is a five time All Star and a five time All NBA Selection (one First Team, three Second Team and one Third Team) and is a former WAC Player of the Year at UTEP. Hardaway is also a famed member of the Golden State Warriors famed “Run TMC” group and is currently fourteenth all-time in NBA Assists.
Spencer Haywood: Ranked at _____ by Notinhalloffame.com, Spencer Haywood has been a Finalist for the Hall of Fame the last two years. Haywood is a former ABA MVP and two time First Team NBA All Star. He helped the Los Angeles Laker win the NBA Championship in 1980 and has a 20.3 Points Per Game Average.
Robert Hughes: Hughes coached Texas High School Basketball for forty-seven years and has a 1,333 and 247 record with thirty-five district championships and five state championships.
Kevin Johnson: Ranked at 13 by Notinhalloffame.com , “KJ” is the first player in NBA history to average 20 Points, 10 Assists, 2 Steals and a .500 Field Goal Shooting Percentage in a season. Johnson is a four time Second Team NBA All Star and a one time Third Team All Star. Johnson would become the Mayor of his hometown of Sacramento and was instrumental in the team from moving.
Dikembe Mutombo: Ranked #1 by Notinhalloffame.com. Mutombo is in his first year of eligibility and the finger wagging blocker is a four time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a eight time NBA All Star. Mutombo also is also twice a Second Team All NBA Selection and once a Third Team All NBA choice and is also a two time Rebounding Champion and three time Block Champion.
Bo Ryan: The current head Coach of Wisconsin, Bo Ryan has a .763 Winning Percentage in the NCAA and is a four time coaching in Division III.
Jo Jo White: Ranked at _____ by Notinhalloffame.com, Jo Jo White is a seven time NBA All Star and a two time NBA Champion with the Boston Celtics. White would be named the Finals MVP in 1976 and is a former Olympic Champion.
The two Women’s Committee Finalists are:
Leta Andrews: Andrews has coached for fifty years in five different Texas high schools and has the most wins of any High School Basketball coach, male or female.
Lisa Leslie: Leslie is one of the most successful female players of all time. She is a former three time WNBA MVP, four time Olympic Gold Medalist and was rightfully the first overall draft pick of the WNBA
The Basketball Hall of Fame has also announced five direct elects from five different committees. They are:
Louie Dampier who was selected by the ABA Committee. Dampier played in the ABA during the entire duration of the league, all with the Kentucky Colonels. He was a seven time ABA All Star.
John Isaacs who was selected by the Early African American Pioneers Committee. Isaacs was a star player in the late 30’s and 40’s for all black basketball teams.
Lindsay Gaze who was selected by the International Committee. Gaze played for three Australian National teams at the Olympics and coached them in another four.
Tom Heinsohn who was selected by the Veterans Committee. Heinsohn was the 1957 Rookie of the Year and was a four time Second Team All NBA Selection. He helped the Boston Celtic win eight championships and would win another two as their Head Coach.
George Raveling who was selected by the Contributors Committee. Raveling is a former college coach and commentator.
It should be noted that our current Notinhalloffame.com rank only includes players from the NBA and College.
Based on our rankings, we are again disgusted by the omission of Chris Webber, whose past issues at the University of Michigan is likely the cause for the snub.
Evgeni Nabokov Retires
Another major retirement has taken place in the National Hockey League and in our estimation it has not received the press it should have.
Evgeni Nabokov, who was just traded back to the San Jose Sharks, retired after fourteen seasons in the NHL, and after a return to San Jose, where he played for ten years and holds numerous goaltending records has decided to call it a career.
From the Kazakhstan part of the Soviet Union, Nabokov was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in 1994, but did not make his NHL debut until 2000 and would win the Calder Trophy as the Rookie of the Year in the 2000/01 season. His best season would be in 2007/08 where we would lead the NHL in Wins and was a First Team NHL All Star. This was also the only season where he was a Finalist for the Vezina Trophy.
Nabokov would later play for the New York Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning and Internationally for Russia, where in 2008 he would take them to a World Championship and win the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament.
While Nabokov is not likely a Hall of Famer, he is a two time All Star who had a decent career.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Evgeni Nabokov on his career and wish him the best in the next stage of his life.
Alanis Morissette to the Canadian Music HOF
The Canadian Music Hall of Fame (also known as the Juno Hall of Fame) has announced that the 2015 inductee will be Alanis Morissette.
The Ottawa native first became nationally known in the early 1990’s as a dance-pop artist but it was her switch to a hybrid of Rock and Alternative that led to the creation of her smash album, Jagged Little Pill, an effort that generated hits like “You Oughta Know”, “Ironic”, “You Learn” and “Hand In My Pocket”. It sold 33 million copies worldwide, won numerous awards and ushered in a new wave of female stars. While she would never gain that level of success again, she remained a successful concert draw and would go to sell millions of more records.
Morissette joins an establishment that began in 1978 and includes such notables as Neil Young, The Band, Rush and Bryan Adams.
The official induction will take place on March 15 at this year’s Juno Award Ceremony.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Alanis Morissette on earning this latest accolade, especially at the young age of 40.
RIP: Ed Sabol
It is a sad day in the National Football League as the founder of NFL Films and Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee, Steve Sabol passed away in his home in Scottsdale, Arizona at the age of 98.
Sabol, along with his son Steve transformed the way that we watch the National Football League once he won the right to chronicle the game in 1962, and his vision gave us innovations that are still very much in use today. With a multi-camera attack, players with microphones and locker room access, Sabol created what was akin to a Hollywood production.
NFL Films would give us the slow motion replay and reverse angles and set it to dramatic music and powerful narration. There was nothing like it before, and it would become the standard bearer for how we watch sports films and documentaries and it was a large piece of what made the NFL grow as big as it has.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends and family of Ed Sabol at this time.