This year’s HOF have thirteen people who had made significant contributions to the sport of basketball up for induction. Among the cast, seven of them could very well compete with any starting unit the NBA can throw at them. The list includes three top-caliber point guards, two shooting guards, a versatile small forward and a center. Also included are 2 from the WNBA, 2 league executives and a pioneer in women’s basketball.
ORA MAE WASHINGTON, aside from basketball also played excellent tennis that the reigning womens’ champion that time refused to play against her. From 1929 to 1937, she was the American Tennis Association’s singles champion. She started playing basketball from 1930 to early 1940 and in that period was the leader of 11 champion teams of Women’s Colored Basketball Championships. She died in 1971 at the age of 73, is a member of Temple University Sports Hall of Fame and was elected in 2009 to the Womens Basketball HOF.
TINA THOMPSON was the first draft pick in WNBA history (1997). She was a 9-time WNBA All-Star, a 4-timeWNBA champion with Houston Comets where they created a dynasty with Cynthia Cooper and Sheryl Swoopes. She was a member of the gold-medal winning Team USA to the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics. She played in the Euro League during off seasons and retired from active play in 2014. Thompson now coaches the University of Virginia’s women’s basketball team in the US NCAA Division 1.
KATIE SMITH comes a family of athletes and as a child began playing basketball with boys. She was in the 1999 WNBA Draft and was picked by the Minnesota Lynx and in 2005 became the first American female pro basketball player to score 5,000 points. She was 2-time champion with the Detroit Shock (2006 and 2008) and was the 2008 WNBA Finals MVP. She won three Olympic gold medals (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008). Like Thompson, she was in the Euro League in the off season. Retiring in 2014, she now coaches the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
CHARLES “Lefty” DRIESELL is the only NCAA coach who had more than 100 victories with four different schools (Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State). In 41 seasons, he won a combined 786 games at the four schools. He retired in 2003 at the age of 71.
CHARLIE SCOTT was the first Afro-American in the history of the University of North Carolina on an athletic scholarship. He was part of 1968 Mexico Olympics gold medal team and a member of the Boston Celtics championship team of 1975. A 3-time NBA All-Star, his 10-year stay in the league also included stops in Phoenix, Denver and the LA Lakers.
ROD THORN played in the NBA from 1963 to 1971 but he was more successful as a league executive. He was Chicago’s general manager and was responsible for the selection of Michael Jordan in 1984. From 1996 to 2000, he was the NBA’s chief disciplinarian as EVP for basketball operations. He joined the New Jersey Nets in June of 2000 where he was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2002. He was hired as president of the 76ers in 2010. From 2013 to 2015, Thorn was the league’s president of basketball operations.
RICK WELTS was then serving as the league’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer and is responsible for the creation of the NBA All-Star Weekend. From 2002 to 2011 he was the President and CEO of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury. Presently, he’s the brains behind the success of the Golden State Warriors as their President and COO.
DINO RADJA was drafted by Boston in 1989 but because of contract disputes with his Yugoslavian ball club, only joined the league in 1993. In his brief 4-year stint in the league, he played a total of 224 games, averaged 16 points, 8 rebounds, a block and an assist. Going back to Europe, he was a 2-time Greek league champion, became an MVP, a 3-time Yugoslavian league champion, 2-time Croatian league champion, named to FIBA’s 50 Greatest Players and to the Euro League’s 50 Greatest Contributors.
MAURICE CHEEKS was Philly’s 37th pick in the 1978 NBA Draft and was with them for 11 years. A 4-time All-Star, he was starting the point guard of the 76ers three trips to the Finals including the 1983 title team. He had stints with San Antonio, New York, Atlanta and New Jersey until his retirement in 1993. At the time of his retirement, he was the league’s all-time leader in steals and fifth in assists. To date, he ranks 5th in steals and 11th in assists. One of basketball’s greatest defensive point guards, he’s currently OKC assistant coach.
RAY ALLEN played a career total of 1,300 NBA games. A member of the 1996 Draft Class, he spent 18 seasons with the league. He was a 10-time All-Star and is the league’s all-time leader in three point shots made. He is a 2-time NBA champion with Boston (2008) and Miami (2013). Prior to the Celtics and the Heat, he had stints with Milwaukee and Seattle. Allen is among the league’s best pure shooters.
GRANT HILL had a stellar career but an NBA title had been elusive. As a Blue Devil, he helped Duke to two consecutive NCAA titles in 1991 and 1992. Drafted 3rd overall by Detroit in the 1994 Draft, he became the first rookie to lead an All-Star fan balloting in 1995. A 7-time All-Star, Hill was on the 1996 Atlanta Olympics gold medal team. Prior to his retirement in 2013, he had stints with Orlando, Phoenix and LA Clippers.
JASON KIDD was Hill’s 1995 co-ROY and ranks 2nd all-time in the NBA’s steals and assists, trailing John Stockton in both departments. He was picked by Dallas at #2 and 2 years later was at Phoenix until 2001 where he was shipped to New Jersey until 2008. Coming back to Dallas, he teamed with Dirk Nowitzki in 2011 for the team’s first NBA title. A 10-time All-Star, he was on the Olympic gold medal team at Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008.
STEVE NASH was picked by Phoenix at 15th in the 1996 Draft and spent 10 seasons with the franchise where he earned league MVP honors in 2005 and 2006. He became one of the NBA’s elite point guards, ranks 3rd all-time in the assist leaders list and with a 90.4 percentage, is the NBA’s highest in career free throws. In his 19 seasons, he also had stints with Dallas and LA Lakers until his retirement in 2015. Presently, he’s with GSW as a player development consultant.