Another year. Another time to remember the greats of the game. The people who have made their mark on the basketball universe for the better. This year we have an iron-man referee, a College coach who has changed the way coaches recruit. And a center who was a beast on the court and still is in many people’s eyes. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame Class of 2015 has been announced.
This year’s list includes 39-year NBA referee Dick Bavetta, two-time College Coach of the Year John Calipari, four-time NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood, eight-time NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo, seven-time NBA All-Star Jo Jo White and three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie.
They join the five directly elected members who were announced during NBA All-Star Weekend in February by distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game of basketball. They include Louis Dampier voted in from the American Basketball Association (ABA) Committee, John Isaacs from the Early African American Pioneers Committee, Lindsay Gaze from the International Committee, Tom Heinsohn from the Veterans Committee and George Raveling from the Contributor Direct Election Committee.
It’s always great to look back at people’s careers and talk about their greatness. And it’s also good to learn about the people who made waves behind the scenes. Those people who are recognizable by name, but once you see what they did. You applaud just as much as the people who entertained us every night.
Congratulations to everybody who are going to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame Class of 2015.
