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Hall of Fame

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» Friday, April 5 2013

Marc Berman: Bernard King finally elected to the Hall of Fame, according to source. Deserved it a while ago. Twitter @NYPost_Berman

The announcements will become official Monday at the Final Four in Atlanta. Ironically, King lives in Atlanta and attended the Knicks game Wednesday. King played from 1982-87 with the Knicks and his career was shortened by knee trouble. He was disappointed in recent years about being passed over for the Hall. His name came up this week when Carmelo Anthony nearly acheived his feat of posting back-to-back 50-point games. King did that during the 1984-85 season. King averaged 26.5 points during his Knicks career. New York Post

Al Ross, Haywood's agent in the early 1970s when he sued the NBA and won the right by the Supreme Court to enter as an underclassmen out of college, confirmed Haywood's election on Friday to FOX Sports Florida. The forward will be enshrined Sept. 8 in Springfield, Mass. "It's one of the most important things ever (in NBA history),'' Ross said of Haywood's case. "It opened the door for all these superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson to enter the NBA.'' FOXSports Florida

It was decided on March 1, 1971, by a 7-2 vote by the Supreme Court that Haywood was eligible to play. That has paved the way for countless stars to enter the NBA before their college eligibility expired. The attorney representing the NBA in the Haywood case was David Stern. He later became NBA Commissioner and will leave office next February. "Isn't that ironic?'' Ross said of Haywood getting into the Hall of Fame in the last class in which Stern is the commissioner. FOXSports Florida

Tim Hardaway said he got the news Wednesday, that he had fallen short in the final vote for 2013 induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was disappointed, but hardly crushed. "Because I'm going to the Final Four anyway," the former Miami Heat guard joked Friday. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

"I think you should never anticipate going in unless you're Michael Jordan or John Stockton or Karl Malone or someone like that," he said. "I'm happy for everyone who got in." Among those who formally will be named for induction Monday is Gary Payton, who will become the first former Heat player to be enshrined in Springfield. Payton helped the Heat win the 2006 NBA title, also spending the following season with the team. "I'm happy for Gary," Hardaway said. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Win or lose at the Final Four, Louisville coach Rick Pitino will leave Atlanta with a greater legacy than the one he arrived with -- he has won induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a source told ESPNNewYork.com on Friday. Pitino, 60, will be introduced with the rest of the 2013 Hall of Fame class Monday before a national championship game he hopes to be coaching in. His Cardinals will face Wichita State in Saturday's semifinals, and the winner will face the survivor of the Syracuse-Michigan game that follows. ESPN.com

 

» Thursday, April 4 2013

Give a big hand to the “The Glove." A source confirmed Thursday that Gary Payton will be named Monday to the Basketball Hall of Fame at the Final Four in Atlanta. The guard had his greatest seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics. However, he won his only NBA title with the Miami Heat in 2006, and could become the first former Heat player in the Hall of Fame at the Sept. 8 induction ceremonies. Former Miami star guard Tim Hardaway also is a finalist this year for election. FOXSports Florida

Also, a source said Boston Celtics legend Tom Heinsohn, who already is in the Hall of Fame as a player, will not be named Monday as a coach. Heinsohn was trying to join John Wooden, Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman as men inducted as both a player and a coach. FOXSports Florida

Two-time Hall of Famer Bill Sharman is auctioning his 2010 Lakers championship ring, with the proceeds going to charity. The Bill's Ring of Hope campaign kicked off Wednesday and will close at 8 a.m. Pacific time on June 7. Tickets cost $2 each with a minimum purchase of five ($10 overall). Tickets can be purchased at www.billsringofhope.com. Los Angeles Times

 

» Monday, April 1 2013

A fellow NBA coach said George Karl is a no-brainer for the Hall of Fame. "Without question,'' said Brooklyn's P.J. Carlesimo. "Without question.'' Karl is the sixth-winningest coach in NBA history with 1,124 wins and is closing in on fifth-place Phil Jackson, who totaled 1,155. But Karl, like his players, often doesn’t get a national spotlight while toiling in out-of-the-way Denver. “I don’t think he gets enough credit for the numbers he puts up year in and year out and the way he adapts (to different personnel),’’ Carlesimo said of Karl. “I think (the Nuggets are) very good. They’re one of the elite teams in the league.’’ Sulia

 

» Sunday, March 31 2013

“I think about it all the time.,” Iverson said of his Hall of Fame possibilities. “My friends let me know about it. My family let me know about it and me being, I wouldn’t say arrogant or cocky, but confident as I am, I expect that to happen and I am looking forward to it. “I think that would be the best as far as putting an exclamation point on my career,” he continued. “Being drafted was the best but going down as one of the best ever to play the game would be the exclamation point.” CSNPhilly.com

 

» Monday, March 4 2013

Dwight Howard has sought the training of Hakeem Olajuwon in recent summers and the Los Angeles Lakers' center says he will again work out with the Hall of Famer this offseason. "This summer I will," Howard posted on Twitter when a follower asked him if he has or will work out with Olajuwon again. RealGM

 

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