Naismith Hall of Fame Weekend

Congratulations to Cathy Rush, Adrian Dantley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Dick Vitale, Bill Davidson, and Pat Riley for their induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame. All are extremely deserving of this highest honor in basketball.

On a personal level I was thrilled when it was announced Patrick Ewing had made it into the Hall. I had the great honor of being an assistant coach in the 1991 NBA All Star Game in Charlotte along with Don Casey and Chris Ford. We had some of the greatest who have ever played the game on that team.

One of my favorite players from that weekend was Patrick. In my opinion he is not only one of the greatest players who played the game, but one of the best coaches in the game today. I believe Patrick will be coaching his own team in the near future. It is wonderful to see such a great person such as Patrick receive the kind of personal recognition he so richly deserves.

Another highlight from induction weekend was learning more about Cathy Rush. Rush coached tiny Immaculata University to three consecutive national championships finishing her career with a 149-15 record! She is definitely one of the greats of the game. As a student of the game, I am glad the Hall recognized her great achievements.

The induction of Bill Davidson was richly deserved. Mr. Davidson bought the Pistons in the 1970's and built the team into a championship caliber franchise. While the Pistons were always our rivals in the 1980's and 1990's when I was with the Celtics, you could not help but admire their organization.

I cannot recall how many conversations I had over the years about Adrian Dantley with Red Auerbach. Red knew Adrian when he was growing up in Washington, D.C. through one of his close friends, Morgan Wootten, the greatest high school coach and Hall of Famer. Coach Wootten coached Adrian in high school and Red thought Adrian one of the greatest to play the game. Red was always interested in finding a way to bring Adrian to the Celtics. I am sure Red would be thrilled Adrian has joined him in the Hall of Fame.

Finally, I want to congratulate my friend Val Ackerman for receiving the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hall of Fame. Val is one of the greats in the game and more importantly, a great person. Val was the original president of the WNBA and is currently the president of USA Basketball. Val is one of the people most responsible for our basketball success in the Beijing Olympics.