Carter, Billups among finalists for Basketball Hall of Fame،
INDIANAPOLIS — Aerial artist Vince Carter, great shooter Chauncey Billups, talented Seimone Augustus and Wisconsin's winningest coach, Bo Ryan, headlined the 14 finalists announced Friday for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Naismith's basketball fame as NBA All-Stars. Weekend.
Carter, an eight-time All-Star, Slam Dunk champion, Rookie of the Year and Olympic gold medalist who retired in 2020 after scoring more than 25,000 points in 22 seasons, was on hand for the press conference .
“Amazing,” said Carter, considered one of the greatest slam dunk showmen of all time. “I loved playing more than anything. It wasn't about the numbers. I was asked probably five years before I retired, 'Why are you still playing? You're killing your average.' And I said, ‘But I still love acting.’ And that’s what mattered.”
Billups, who earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” for his notable performances with the Detroit Pistons, was a five-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive Team. He was MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals, when his Pistons beat Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Everyone who comes into the NBA…it’s their dream,” Billups told ESPN. “It’s truly basketball heaven to be in the Hall of Fame.
“That was never my goal when I was playing. I just wanted to try to win and be the best teammate I could be. … I'm just honored by today. Just to be close to it is an honor. I know I'm not there, but I'm closer. It's a real honor.
Augustus was the No. 1 pick of the Minnesota Lynx in 2006 and continued her Rookie of the Year campaign by becoming a four-time champion and eight-time WNBA All-Star.
Ryan was 747-233 (.762) in 32 seasons with the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin, leading the Badgers men's team to 14 consecutive appearances. to consecutive NCAA Tournaments and Final Fours. in 2014 and 2015.
Other finalist players include Lakers “Showtime” era defensive guard Michael Cooper; the first Australian, male or female, to play at international level under leader Michele Timms; Dick Barnett, three-time NAIA national champion with Tennessee A&I University and two-time NBA champion with the New York Knicks; and six-time All-Star and Phoenix Suns all-time leading scorer Walter Davis.
Davis died in November at age 69.
“Walter Davis, he was one of the best draft picks Phoenix ever had, going number one. Maybe one of the greatest shooters – pure shooters – that ever played the game,” Jerry Colangelo said , president of the Hall of Fame. “Unfortunately, he just passed away only a few months ago and I hope his family will appreciate it if he is elected in his name.”
Other finalist coaches included Marian Washington, who won a school record 560 games while guiding the University of Kansas women's basketball team for 31 seasons; Harley Redin, who went 431-66 in 18 seasons as Wayland Baptist girls basketball coach, including two undefeated campaigns; and Charles Smith, the winningest basketball coach in Louisiana history, who accumulated more than 1,000 victories with the Peabody Magnet High School boys team.
Indiana Pacers Governor Herb Simon; Jerry West, current LA Clippers advisor and longtime NBA front office executive; and accomplished player, coach and television analyst Doug Collins were all nominated as finalists as contributors to the game.
After the finalists are voted on, the inductees for the Aug. 17 ceremony in Springfield, Mass., will be announced as part of the NCAA Final Four festivities on April 6 in Phoenix.
The recipients of the 2024 Curt Gowdy Media Award and the John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award were also announced Friday.
JA Adande, longtime Los Angeles Times scribe as well as ESPN columnist and “Around the Horn” panelist, and Debbie Antonelli, college basketball analyst and play-by-play commentator, both received the honors Gowdy.
Dennis Page, founder and publisher of SLAM Magazine, and Ahmad Rashad, co-host and executive producer of “NBA Inside Stuff,” represented their respective platforms as SLAM and Inside Stuff were both recognized with Gowdy Media Awards transformers.
“We wanted to show you athletes from another, different side,” Rashad said. “Not just on the field where you see them playing up and down, but what are they doing at home? Who goes to the store? Who goes to the mall? So we would bring these big stars to your house and see them while They really are.”
Additionally, JoAn Scott, affectionately known as “The Maven of March Madness” for her work overseeing NCAA Tournament logistics across all divisions, has been named the 2024 recipient of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award.
