The NBA has announced the list of 14 finalists for the 2024 Hall of Fame, which includes the names of Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups. Carter, an eight-time All-Star and Olympic champion with the United States, retired in 2020 with more than 25,000 points scored in the NBA, while Billups, who was an All-Star five times and finished two seasons in the best defensive quintets , has to his credit the MVP of the 2004 Finals, in which he led the Pistons to their victory over Kobe and Shaq’s Lakers.
“It’s incredible,” acknowledged Vince, who wanted to focus on his passion for the sport. «I love basketball more than anything, and I never played for the numbers. Five years before I retired I was asked why I was still playing, telling me I was sinking my career averages, and my answer was simply that I loved playing. That’s all that matters”.
«This is the dream of anyone who enters the NBA. “It’s basically basketball heaven,” commented Billups, proud of his selection. «It was never my goal while I was playing, I was just trying to be the best teammate possible. The mere fact of being a finalist is already an honor. I know I’m not there yet, but I’m close. And that is a source of pride.”
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Other names
The list also includes names such as Seimone Augustus, four-time WNBA champion and 2011 Finals MVP; Showtime Lakers defensive specialist Michael Cooper; Michele Timms, first Australian player to play outside her country; Dick Barnett, two-time NBA champion with the New York Knicks, and Walter Davis, six-time All-Star and all-time leading scorer for the Phoenix Suns.
As for the coaches, the most prominent name is Bo Ryan, a university coach from the state of Wisconsin who finished his career with a record of 747 victories in 980 games. He is accompanied by Marian Washington, Harley Redin and Charles Smith, all of whom have sensational records at the college and high school level. Likewise, in the contributor category, Jerry West has been selected, who is already part of the Hall of Fame as a player but who has also had a prominent role in the offices; Herb Simons, owner of the Indiana Pacers; and Doug Collins, former player and former coach who currently works as a television analyst.
The final result will be announced on April 6, and the induction into the Hall of Fame of the chosen ones will take place on August 17.
(Cover photo: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
2024-02-17 08:00:00
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