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Bench Warmer
Jordan, Stockton and Robinson Headline Elite Group Placed on Ballot for Election
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class
SPRINGFIELD, MA - Michael Jordan, who led the Bulls to 6 NBA titles, David Robinson who led the San Antonio Spurs to 2 NBA Championships, John Stockton, the Utah Jazz standout and 10 time NBA All-Star join Coaches Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz, legendary high school coach Bobby Hurley of St. Anthony's, Collegiate Coach C. Vivian Stringer and WNBA Star Cynthia Cooper on a list of 16 named as Finalists for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009. The announcement was made today in Phoenix, AZ in conjunction with the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.
The complete list of 16 Finalists includes a total of 10 candidates from the North American Screening Committee - players Bernard King, Dennis Johnson, Chris Mullin, Jordan, Stockton and Robinson and Coaches Hurley, Sloan, Don Nelson and Contributor Al Attles. Two candidates each comprise Finalists from the Women's Screening Committee - Cooper and Coach Stringer- and International Screening Committee - coach Vladimir Kondrashin and Brazilian Legend Maciel "Ubiratan" Pereira, with Legends Richard Guerin and Johnny "Red" Kerr representing the nominees from the Veteran's Screening Committee.
Jordan, Robinson, Stockton, Sloan and Cooper are Finalists in their first year of consideration by their respective Screening Committees. Stringer and Attles are first-time Finalists who have previously been reviewed by Screening Committees. Hurley, Nelson, Johnson, Mullin, King, Ubiratan, Guerin and Kerr have been named Finalists in prior years.
The Class of 2009 will be announced on Monday, April 6 at a news conference in Detroit, Michigan prior to the NCAA's Men's Championship game. A Finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2009 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, MA September 10-12. Tickets to the 2009 Enshrinement Gala and Induction Celebration are available by calling the Hall of Fame at (413) 781-6500.
NORTH AMERICAN COMMITTEE FINALISTS
ROBERT "Bob" HURLEY, Sr. - Coach, has spent his entire life in New Jersey, born in Jersey City and playing college ball at St. Peter's before becoming the head coach at St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City in 1972. Hurley has since compiled over 900 wins at St. Anthony's while leading the team to 25 State Parochial Championships and three USA Today National Championships (1989, 1996, 2008). His legendary selflessness and dedication to St. Anthony's and high school basketball is evidenced by all but one of his players in 36 years of coaching going on to college, including 100+ players receiving college scholarships and five becoming NBA first-round draft picks. Hurley was named National Coach of the Year three times by USA Today (1989, 1996, 2008), was elected to the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and, if elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, will become only the third person elected exclusively for their service to high school basketball (Morgan Wootten, Bertha Teague).
DAVID ROBINSON - Player, would spend his entire NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs guiding them to 2 NBA Championships while being named to ten NBA All-Star Teams, four NBA First Team Selections, NBA League MVP and being selected to the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team. Mr. Robinson also won two Olympic Gold Medals including being a member of the Legendary 1992 "Dream Team". During Robinson's college career at the U.S. Naval Academy, he earned Player of the Year, Naismith and Wooden Honors while leading the nation in rebounding and blocked shots.
DENNIS JOHNSON - Player, was one of basketball's toughest defenders earning nine consecutive NBA All Defensive Team honors during his 14 year professional career. He was part of three NBA Championship Teams and won MVP honors during the 1979 NBA Finals. "D.J." was also named to five NBA All-Star Teams while scoring more that 15,000 points and compiling 5,000 assists before retiring in 1990.
AL ATTLES - Contributor, has provided 49 consecutive years of service to the Golden State Warriors as a player, player-coach, coach, general manager, vice president and consultant. He led the Warriors to the most wins in team history and led them to the 1975 NBA Championship. Currently, Attles serves as the Vice President / Assistant General Manager of the Warriors, a position he has held since 1987.
DON NELSON - Coach, a native of Muskegon, Michigan, began his career as an NBA player for the Chicago Zephyrs (1962-1963) and went on to play for the Los Angeles Lakers (1963-1965) and the Boston Celtics (1965-1975), playing a record 465 consecutive games with the Celtics. He then went on to coach in the NBA leading the Milwaukee Bucks (1976-1987) to seven consecutive division titles (1979-1986) and recorded seven straight 50-plus wins. He currently coaches with the Golden State Warriors where he previously coached together with stints with the New York Knicks (1995-1996) and the Dallas Mavericks (1997-2005). Nelson is one of only two coaches in NBA history to record 250 victories with three different teams. He is a three-time NBA Coach of the Year winner, and currently ranks second in NBA Coaching history and was named to the NBA's Ten Best Coaches of All-Time in 1996. Nelson has over 40 years of NBA experience as a player, coach and general manager. His number #19 jersey was retired by the Boston Celtics.
CHRIS MULLIN - Player, a McDonald's High School All-America from Brooklyn, NY, was a five-time NBA All-Star and collegiate standout at St. John's, where he was named Big East Player of the Year an unprecedented three times. A two-time Olympic gold medalist (1984, 1992), Mullin played 16 NBA seasons for Golden State and Indiana, amassing 17,911 points while averaging more than 20 ppg for six consecutive seasons. He is one of only 17 players in NBA history to compile 17,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists, and was an NBA First Team pick in 1992. He is the all time scoring leader at St. John's (2,440), where he was named the Wooden Award winner and Sporting News First Team All-America in 1985.
MICHAEL JORDAN - Player, is one of the most recognized figures in the sporting world. Jordan was a unanimous collegiate All-American twice (1983, 1984) at the University of North Carolina where he won an NCAA Championship and received both Naismith and Wooden Award Honors. He went on to a storied NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards where he was named a 14 time NBA All-Star, 5 time NBA MVP, 6 time NBA Finals MVP, multiple All-NBA First Team honors while winning 6 NBA Championships. Jordan was also named NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988) and was a 9 time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. The NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1985, Jordan was also named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team and won two Olympic Gold Medals including one with the original "Dream Team" in 1992.
BERNARD KING - Player, spent 15 seasons in the NBA where he would be named to four NBA All-Star Teams and two All-NBA First Teams while averaging over 22.5 points per game. A prolific scorer, King was a collegiate All-American at the University of Tennessee and went on to be named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1978. He was also named NBA Comeback Player of the Year in 1981 and scored nearly 20,000 points in his storied NBA career.
JOHN STOCKTON - Player, spent his entire NBA career with the Utah Jazz accumulating 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals - both NBA records at his retirement. He was named to 10 NBA All-Star Teams and was selected as a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team while leading the Jazz to two NBA Finals. He was also named to two All-NBA First Teams in 1994 and 1995. Stockton also won two Olympic Gold Medals (1992, 1996) and was a member of the original "Dream Team".
JERRY SLOAN - Coach, began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach with the Chicago Bulls before beginning his long career with the Utah Jazz. He is the only coach in NBA history to win over 1,000 games with a single team while compiling a winning percentage of over .600. Sloan led the Jazz to two NBA Finals, 18 playoff appearances and is fourth on the NBA list of coaching victories. Sloan was also named as the Sporting News NBA Coach of the Year in 2004.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class
SPRINGFIELD, MA - Michael Jordan, who led the Bulls to 6 NBA titles, David Robinson who led the San Antonio Spurs to 2 NBA Championships, John Stockton, the Utah Jazz standout and 10 time NBA All-Star join Coaches Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz, legendary high school coach Bobby Hurley of St. Anthony's, Collegiate Coach C. Vivian Stringer and WNBA Star Cynthia Cooper on a list of 16 named as Finalists for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009. The announcement was made today in Phoenix, AZ in conjunction with the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.
The complete list of 16 Finalists includes a total of 10 candidates from the North American Screening Committee - players Bernard King, Dennis Johnson, Chris Mullin, Jordan, Stockton and Robinson and Coaches Hurley, Sloan, Don Nelson and Contributor Al Attles. Two candidates each comprise Finalists from the Women's Screening Committee - Cooper and Coach Stringer- and International Screening Committee - coach Vladimir Kondrashin and Brazilian Legend Maciel "Ubiratan" Pereira, with Legends Richard Guerin and Johnny "Red" Kerr representing the nominees from the Veteran's Screening Committee.
Jordan, Robinson, Stockton, Sloan and Cooper are Finalists in their first year of consideration by their respective Screening Committees. Stringer and Attles are first-time Finalists who have previously been reviewed by Screening Committees. Hurley, Nelson, Johnson, Mullin, King, Ubiratan, Guerin and Kerr have been named Finalists in prior years.
The Class of 2009 will be announced on Monday, April 6 at a news conference in Detroit, Michigan prior to the NCAA's Men's Championship game. A Finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2009 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, MA September 10-12. Tickets to the 2009 Enshrinement Gala and Induction Celebration are available by calling the Hall of Fame at (413) 781-6500.
NORTH AMERICAN COMMITTEE FINALISTS
ROBERT "Bob" HURLEY, Sr. - Coach, has spent his entire life in New Jersey, born in Jersey City and playing college ball at St. Peter's before becoming the head coach at St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City in 1972. Hurley has since compiled over 900 wins at St. Anthony's while leading the team to 25 State Parochial Championships and three USA Today National Championships (1989, 1996, 2008). His legendary selflessness and dedication to St. Anthony's and high school basketball is evidenced by all but one of his players in 36 years of coaching going on to college, including 100+ players receiving college scholarships and five becoming NBA first-round draft picks. Hurley was named National Coach of the Year three times by USA Today (1989, 1996, 2008), was elected to the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and, if elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, will become only the third person elected exclusively for their service to high school basketball (Morgan Wootten, Bertha Teague).
DAVID ROBINSON - Player, would spend his entire NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs guiding them to 2 NBA Championships while being named to ten NBA All-Star Teams, four NBA First Team Selections, NBA League MVP and being selected to the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team. Mr. Robinson also won two Olympic Gold Medals including being a member of the Legendary 1992 "Dream Team". During Robinson's college career at the U.S. Naval Academy, he earned Player of the Year, Naismith and Wooden Honors while leading the nation in rebounding and blocked shots.
DENNIS JOHNSON - Player, was one of basketball's toughest defenders earning nine consecutive NBA All Defensive Team honors during his 14 year professional career. He was part of three NBA Championship Teams and won MVP honors during the 1979 NBA Finals. "D.J." was also named to five NBA All-Star Teams while scoring more that 15,000 points and compiling 5,000 assists before retiring in 1990.
AL ATTLES - Contributor, has provided 49 consecutive years of service to the Golden State Warriors as a player, player-coach, coach, general manager, vice president and consultant. He led the Warriors to the most wins in team history and led them to the 1975 NBA Championship. Currently, Attles serves as the Vice President / Assistant General Manager of the Warriors, a position he has held since 1987.
DON NELSON - Coach, a native of Muskegon, Michigan, began his career as an NBA player for the Chicago Zephyrs (1962-1963) and went on to play for the Los Angeles Lakers (1963-1965) and the Boston Celtics (1965-1975), playing a record 465 consecutive games with the Celtics. He then went on to coach in the NBA leading the Milwaukee Bucks (1976-1987) to seven consecutive division titles (1979-1986) and recorded seven straight 50-plus wins. He currently coaches with the Golden State Warriors where he previously coached together with stints with the New York Knicks (1995-1996) and the Dallas Mavericks (1997-2005). Nelson is one of only two coaches in NBA history to record 250 victories with three different teams. He is a three-time NBA Coach of the Year winner, and currently ranks second in NBA Coaching history and was named to the NBA's Ten Best Coaches of All-Time in 1996. Nelson has over 40 years of NBA experience as a player, coach and general manager. His number #19 jersey was retired by the Boston Celtics.
CHRIS MULLIN - Player, a McDonald's High School All-America from Brooklyn, NY, was a five-time NBA All-Star and collegiate standout at St. John's, where he was named Big East Player of the Year an unprecedented three times. A two-time Olympic gold medalist (1984, 1992), Mullin played 16 NBA seasons for Golden State and Indiana, amassing 17,911 points while averaging more than 20 ppg for six consecutive seasons. He is one of only 17 players in NBA history to compile 17,000 points, 3,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists, and was an NBA First Team pick in 1992. He is the all time scoring leader at St. John's (2,440), where he was named the Wooden Award winner and Sporting News First Team All-America in 1985.
MICHAEL JORDAN - Player, is one of the most recognized figures in the sporting world. Jordan was a unanimous collegiate All-American twice (1983, 1984) at the University of North Carolina where he won an NCAA Championship and received both Naismith and Wooden Award Honors. He went on to a storied NBA career with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards where he was named a 14 time NBA All-Star, 5 time NBA MVP, 6 time NBA Finals MVP, multiple All-NBA First Team honors while winning 6 NBA Championships. Jordan was also named NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1988) and was a 9 time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. The NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1985, Jordan was also named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team and won two Olympic Gold Medals including one with the original "Dream Team" in 1992.
BERNARD KING - Player, spent 15 seasons in the NBA where he would be named to four NBA All-Star Teams and two All-NBA First Teams while averaging over 22.5 points per game. A prolific scorer, King was a collegiate All-American at the University of Tennessee and went on to be named to the NBA All-Rookie Team in 1978. He was also named NBA Comeback Player of the Year in 1981 and scored nearly 20,000 points in his storied NBA career.
JOHN STOCKTON - Player, spent his entire NBA career with the Utah Jazz accumulating 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals - both NBA records at his retirement. He was named to 10 NBA All-Star Teams and was selected as a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team while leading the Jazz to two NBA Finals. He was also named to two All-NBA First Teams in 1994 and 1995. Stockton also won two Olympic Gold Medals (1992, 1996) and was a member of the original "Dream Team".
JERRY SLOAN - Coach, began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach with the Chicago Bulls before beginning his long career with the Utah Jazz. He is the only coach in NBA history to win over 1,000 games with a single team while compiling a winning percentage of over .600. Sloan led the Jazz to two NBA Finals, 18 playoff appearances and is fourth on the NBA list of coaching victories. Sloan was also named as the Sporting News NBA Coach of the Year in 2004.
