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NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND

February 17, 2006

HOUSTON, TEXAS

DICK STOCKTON: Thank you very much and welcome to today's special event, where we will learn the names of the 16 finalists for this year's Hall of Fame class, the class of 2006, and a special welcome to all of our friends watching live on NBA TV.
It's a great pleasure for me to be hosting this event today. The Hall of Fame is a wonderful museum. If you have not been there, and the new Hall is a real showplace for basketball, the game that we all love. I'm very proud of my relationship with the Hall and still grateful for the prestigious award they kindly presented me in 2001.
We are here at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston, Texas, the host city for the 2006 All-Star Weekend, and there are a lot of people around the world eager to learn who have been honored as finalists today, the critical next step to being named to the Hall of Fame. And to get things started and to update us on the Hall of Fame, please welcome the president and chief executive officer of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, Mr. John Doleva.
JOHN DOLEVA: From the birthplace of basketball, Springfield, Massachusetts, I want to thank the NBA for providing such a wonderful location for us today, and certainly, Dick, you, too.
As you know we recognize the entire game, men, women, international, collegiate and NBA. Also, those that have coached, those that have played across all gamuts, the professional game, the collegiate game, the high school game, the international game, both the men's and women's side. We represent the game around the world. To reach the Naismith Hall of Fame is truly to walk among the giants. We have 258 giants represented in the basketball Hall of Fame, recognizing their shining achievements. There are several current members of the basketball Hall of Fame that have joined us here today to wish our class of 2006 finalists well in their journey to the Hall. Those elected from today's list of finalists will achieve immortality within the game.
It is my pleasure to introduce those current Hall of Famers who are with us today. We appreciate their support of the hall and their willingness to celebrate today's announcement. We will begin chronologically by class.
From the class of 1980, enshrined as a player, the "Big 0," we welcome Oscar Robertson.
From the class of 1992, enshrined as a player also, Dr. Jack Ramsay.
From the class of 1996, enshrined as a player, Gail Goodrich.
Also from the class of 1996, enshrined as a player, David Thompson.
From the class of 2001, enshrined as a player, Moses Malone.
And from the class of 2004, we welcome enshrined as a player, Mr. Clyde Drexler.
As you can see from the group assembled behind me, and as you will soon see from the finalists presented for the class of 2006, the strength of the basketball Hall of Fame continues to grow, as this game continues to mature and additional remarkable talents take their rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
We are fortunate to be the home of the best of the best in basketball, and be immersed in a global sport that continues to grow on a global basis. We are fortunate also, to have the support of the leaders in the game, the NBA, the NCAA, FIBA and the many other constituents that make up this great game and value and respect the history of basketball.
It seems I am being motioned -- oh, God. (Laughter) sorry. From the class of 1993, please give the most raucous welcome to Mr. Bill Walton. We always save the best for last at the Hall of Fame.
And before we move to the list of the final 16, I would like to welcome the Chairman of the Board of the basketball Hall of Fame, a man that has worked tirelessly on behalf of the hall and building its recent successes, and is especially focused on the fair and pristine execution of the election process, please welcome Deputy Commissioner of the NBA and the Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Mr. Russ Granik.
RUSS GRANIK: For most of us, Bill is a hard guy to miss. But I want to thank Bill and the others up here for joining us today, and I think it demonstrates what the Hall of Fame has meant to them. Thank you John and Dick. Dick has been a voice of NBA and college basketball for a long time, and it's been a pleasure to know him these many years.
Obviously we've got a great team up here. Some of these guys look like they still think they could play, and in their time they would have made a heck of an All-Star team to play on Sunday. I notice in the front row we have Charles Barkley and Dominique Wilkins, tells me they must have some hint about at least a couple of people who have been nominated in this class.
This is Charles's first year of eligibility. Because in order to be eligible as a player, you have to be retired for five years, and so really, it means it's almost six years before you can be enshrined after you've finished playing. I'm happy to have both of these guys join us today, and I know that both of them are ultimately worthy to be in the basketball Hall of Fame.
It seems to fall to me at these proceedings each year to explain how really difficult it is to ultimately get elected to the basketball Hall of Fame. In recent years, it certainly isn't getting any easier. The 16 names that Dick Stockton will announce in a moment were among more than literally 100 worthy candidates, every one of whom achieved real success in our sport, as players, as coaches or in other roles. They were proposed for entrance into the Hall by either their universities, some former teammates or others who may have shared in their success. Each of these more than 100 candidates were forwarded to one of four different committees who have expertise in particular areas, either the North American men's game, the women's game, international or veterans.
As a result of this review, we have a series of names that will be forwarded to this year's Honors Committee, which consists of 24 members, all of whom who are either Hall of Famers themselves, leading individuals in the game of basketball at all levels, or members of the media that cover our game, both printed, electronic, covering both professional and amateur basketball. Each of those members votes up or down on each nominee, with 18 "yes" resulting in election.
It sounds simple, but if history is a guide, of these 16 names, then probably at most, half, maybe even less are likely to make it on this go-round, although some will be back again in the future and ultimately succeed.
I want to point out, particularly, to Charles, as he's gone through this the first time, that I'm prohibited from serving on the Honors Committee, and have absolutely no say in who ultimately gets elected to the Hall of Fame.
However, the one thing that I'm confident about is that next September, there will be another class of extremely well-qualified and worthy individuals that are headed for Springfield, and I'll be proud to preside over their introduction.
So thank you very much and it's my pleasure to turn it back over to Dick Stockton.
DICK STOCKTON: Thank you very much, Russ. Now it's time to learn the names of the 16 finalists for the Hall of Fame class of 2006.
He would earn the nickname "Wonder Boy" and with the help of Hall of Famer William "Pop" Gates would pioneer the concept of motion offense in basketball. He led the New York Rens to a record 112 wins and 7 losses in the World Professional Basketball Tournament Championship in 1939. In 1943 he would be selected to the World Professional Basketball Tournament second team while leading the Washington Bears to the championship. He would also be named Most Valuable Player of the 1947 Utica Pics, and was a member of the 1949 Dayton Rens who became the first African American team to compete in the NBL. He was nominated as a player from the Veterans Committee, John Isaacs.
He was the sole owner of the St. Louis Hawks from 1946 to 1958 and his teams featured several members of the Hall of Fame including Cliff Hagan, Clyde Lovellette, Ed Macauley, Slater Martin, Bob Pettit, Andy Phillip and Lenny Wilkins. He also hired head coaches that included Hall of Famers Red Auerbach and Red Holzman, and he would win the 1958 NBA Championship where his St. Louis Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics. Nominated as a contributor from the veterans committee, Ben Kerner.
He is in his 21st season at Connecticut, where he has led the Huskies to an amazing five National Championships, eight Final Four appearances, and two undefeated seasons. His teams have compiled more than 570 wins at UCONN where he has been named the national coach of the year five times and captured 14 BIG EAST regular season and 12 BIG EAST tournament titles. He has guided his team to ten 30-win seasons, 17 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and an NCAA record 70 victories, nominated as a coach by the women's committee, Geno Auriemma.
He led Mississippi to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and an SEC title before moving on to lead the Houston Comets of the WNBA. He created the WNBA's first dynasty being named three times as Coach of the Year, as the Comets captured four consecutive WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000. His international coaching experience includes a spotless 38-0 record highlighted by a gold medal as head coach of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team. Nominated as a coach by the Women's Committee, Van Chancellor.
This gentleman is considered one of the greatest coaches in European history and has compiled an overall coaching record of 437-90. While leading Real Madrid to a record 12 Spanish League titles, 11 Spanish Cup titles and four European Cup championships, he recorded three undefeated Spanish League seasons and was known for bringing the concept of the fast break to the European game. Along with Cesare Rubini, he founded the World Association of Basketball Coaches and served as the organization's first president. He was nominated as a coach from the International Committee, Pedro Ferrandiz.
This man compiled an overall coaching record of 803-36 and coached four Italian League Championship Olympic teams. He would lead Italy to the gold medal in the 1983 European championships, a silver medal in the 1980 Olympic games and the bronze medal in the 1985 European Championships. He guided his Simmenthal team to three Italian League titles, the Champions Cup one time and the Cup of Cups twice. He then coached Ignis Varese to two Italian League Championships and the European titles in 1974, 1975 and again in 1976. He was nominated as a coach from the International Committee, Sandro Gamba.
He was selected to 11 NBA All-Star Games as well as the All-NBA First Team five times and the All-NBA Second Team, five times. He won an Olympic gold medal with the 1992 United States Dream Team Olympic club and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player in the 1993 season. He averaged 22 points per game and almost 12 rebounds per game in his 16-year NBA career, and was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Nominated as a player from the North American Committee, Charles Barkley.
He was a six-time NBA All-Star and was named on the All-NBA Second Team on two occasions. He led the NBA in scoring in two different seasons, averaging greater than 30 points in each campaign and scored more than 23,000 career NBA points. He won a gold medal with the 1976 United States Olympic team as well as being selected as a two-time college All-American at Notre Dame. Nominated as a player from the North American Committee, Adrian Dantley.
He was the Most Valuable Player of the 1989 NBA Finals, while leading his Detroit Pistons team to the NBA Championship. He was named to six NBA All-Star Games, won two NBA Championships with the Pistons, was selected to the All-NBA Defensive First Team four times. He was the captain of the second Dream Team, the 1994 United States team that won the gold medal at the World Championships. A member of the All-NBA Team in three different seasons, he would receive the NBA Sportsmanship award in 1996, and was selected to the All-NBA Rookie Team in 1986, he was nominated as a player from the North American Committee, Joe Dumars.
This man's contributions to the game as head coach of Providence, where he would lead the team to eight consecutive 20-win seasons, five NCAA Tournament appearances and one Final Four. He went from head coach to athletic director at Providence, to being the founder and commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference in 1979. He would serve as the chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee, became the president of the USA Basketball during the critical growth years from 1988 through 1992, and served as the chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors until 2003. He was nominated as a contributor from the North American Committee, Dave Gavitt.
He compiled an overall coaching record of 879-381 while being named National Coach of the Year ten times in six different seasons. He would be named the Big-10 Coach of the Year on seven occasions, and lead Purdue University to 22 postseason appearances in his 25 years at the helm. He recorded six Big-10 Championships, and ranked second in Big-10 history with 265 career conference wins. He took Purdue to the Sweet 16 five times and the Elite 8 twice. As USA Basketball coach, he recorded a 22-2 record and an unblemished 18-0 mark as an assistant coach while winning gold medals in the National Sports Festival in 1970, and the World University Games in 1989. Nominated as a coach from the North American Committee, Gene Keady.
He 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 is the second most coaching wins in NBA history with 1,190 victories. He was named to the NBA's ten best coaches of all-time in 1996, and owns 40 or more years of NBA experience as a player, coach and a general manager. He coached the second Dream Team to a gold medal in the 1994 World Championships, and is one of only eight NBA coaches to register a better record in four consecutive seasons with the same team. As a player, he won five NBA Championships as a member of the Boston Celtics. He was nominated as a coach from the North American Committee, Don Nelson.
He was a three-time consensus collegiate All-American pick, a three-time national College Player of the Year winner and three-time Naismith Award winner and two-time Wooden Award recipient. He received the Oscar Robertson Trophy three consecutive seasons. He played his college basketball at the University of Virginia, where he lead the team to 1998 NIT Championship and the 1981 NCAA Final Four. As a pro he would be selected to three NBA All-Star Games and was named to All-Star Game MVP of 1985 and the All-NBA Second Team in 1985, in addition to being the Rookie of the Year in 1984. He was nominated as a player from the North American Committee, Ralph Sampson.
One of the most enthusiastic basketball champions in the world, he has worked as an analyst for ESPN and ABC's college basketball coverage since 1979. He is a past recipient of the Curt Gowdy Electronic Media Award presented by the basketball Hall of Fame, and has authored several basketball books, in addition to being the lead color analyst for college basketball on ESPN and ABC. He has helped build the popularity of televised college basketball worldwide with his knowledge and enthusiasm, and has played an integral role in March Madness. One of the unique voices of the game, he has delighted millions with his open heart and generous heart in basketball. Nominated from the North American Committee, Dick Vitale.
He would average more than 18 points and grab more than 7 rebounds in his 13 NBA seasons. He was selected to the NBA All Rookie Team in 1963 and was named to seven NBA All-Star Games and was a member of the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers team that won the NBA Championship. Upon retirement, he was only the eighth player in NBA history to play in more than 1,000 career games. In college he was a consensus All-American selection in 1961 and 1962, and led Bradley University to two NIT appearances, including the 1960 NIT championship. Nominated as a player, from the North American Committee, Chet Walker.
He was elected to nine NBA All-Star games and earned nickname the "Human Highlight Film." He was an All-NBA selection in seven different seasons, including first pick in 1986. He won a gold medal with the United States in the 1994 World Championship Games, he was a two-time winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and was a member of the 1983 NBA all-Rookie Team. A two-time Second Team All-American pick, college the University of Georgia, he would average more than 21 points per game and be named three times to the All SEC team. With over 26,000 points scored, he was one of the most exciting players ever to play the game and nominated as a player from the North American Committee, Dominique Wilkins.
Congratulations to all of the finalists. As Russ mentioned, being named as a finalist to the Hall of Fame is by itself a real honor. And I notice, as Russ pointed out, we have two of our finalists in the front row, Dominique Wilkins, who we just talked about, and of course Charles Barkley. Charles, if you wouldn't mind, we'd like you to come up and say a few words to the audience. Thank you.
CHARLES BARKLEY: Well, first, I want to thank all of these guys for taking time out of their busy day. This is a great day for me and my family and great friends.
Also I want to give a special thanks to Moses. I've said many times, Moses has been probably the most influential person in my NBA career. He taught me how to work hard, got me in some shape, and always appreciated that.
Also, I think there's two guys that I always try to mention who really helped me, Adrian Dantley and John Drew. It's kind of cool to be nominated with Adrian. John Drew had a huge effect on me. I hope he's doing well. I've been looking for him. Unfortunately, I don't know where he is, but I hope he's doing well.
But I'm glad to be back in Houston, great city. Guys treated me fantastic, even when I couldn't play my last couple of years, Rudy Tomjanovich welcomed me with open arms. I've only been back twice since I retired. We had a Hurricane game here this summer, but I always look forward to coming back to Houston. And that's pretty much it.
This is a great day. Dominique, played against him in college. Getting nominated with him, that's pretty cool. Clyde is an old teammate. But all of these guys... I've always said, Oscar Robertson, people talk about, who is the greatest player to ever play the game, he's always the guy to get left off the list. It's a very short list. It's Michael, Oscar, Bill Russell, those are the only people that should be on the list, but people put other people on the list. (Laughter).
So, hey, listen, I want to thank everybody for coming out today. It's a great weekend. All-Star Weekend is always fun. TNT, it's obviously a big weekend for us. Everybody should have a good time, and like I say, it's just a great day. A lot of people have helped me get to this point in my life, and hopefully everything will go well.
DICK STOCKTON: Always a good idea to name lists at a gathering like this. Anyway, thank you, Charles, for your remarks and thank you for the Hall of Famers for joining us up here. Everyone will be available to the media following this event. Again, the class of 2006 will be introduced on Monday, April 3 at the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis. Enshrinement 2006 will take place the weekend of September 7-9 in Springfield, Massachusetts at the Basketball Hall of Fame, and I hope to see everyone there. Thanks to all of you for coming today. Thanks to our hosts at NBA Entertainment, and thanks to our audience on NBA TV. Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts...

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