Is the 2018 Hall of Fame class the best ever?
The GPS device tried to reroute Rod Thorn on his way from suburban New York City to Springfield, Massachusetts, for this weekend’s Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies.
“I’ve made this drive 100 times,” Thorn said. “I know where I’m going.”
Of the many times Thorn has made the trip – to see a colleague, friend or former player inducted – the trip Wednesday was different. Thorn headed to Springfield for his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday along with 12 other people in the 2018 class.
And what a class it is, perhaps the finest ever inducted: Thorn, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Grant Hill, Maurice Cheeks, Charlie Scott, Tina Thompson, Katie Smith, Ora Mae Washington, Rick Welts, Lefty Driesell and Dino Radja.
Other years had star power for sure: Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, Sheryl Swoopes, Jerry Reinsdorf and Tom Izzo in 2016; David Stern, Alonzo Mourning, Mitch Richmond, Gary Williams and Nolan Richardson in 2014; Michael Jordan, David Robinson, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan and C. Vivian Stringer in 2009; Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Pat Riley, Adrian Dantley, Bill Davidson and Dick Vitale in 2008; Charles Barkley, Joe Dumars, Dominique Wilkins, Geno Auriemma and David Gavitt in 2006; Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Jerry Lucas in 1980.
But this class has an amazing combination of players, coaches and executives who won championships, gold medals, MVPs, and changed the course of the game.
Among them:
Nash is a two-time MVP who pioneered the way the modern point guard plays with pace and space and scoring and passing. He also is No. 3 on the all-time assist list.
Kidd is an NBA champion and No. 2 on the all-time assist list. A triple-double threat who played both sides of the floor at a high level, Kidd made 10 All-Star teams and four All-NBA first teams.
Thompson is WNBA royalty as a four-time champion, threetime All-WNBA first team member, nine-time All-Star and twotime Olympic gold medalist.
Allen, a two-time NBA champ, is one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history and was at the forefront of the three-point revolution in today’s game.
Hill, who is part of one of the most iconic plays in NCAA Tournament history, had a great college career at Duke and underrated NBA career that was hampered by injuries.
As general manager of the Chicago Bulls, Thorn, who had a five-decade career in basketball, selected Jordan and changed that franchise. He also was the architect of the 2002 and 2003 New Jersey Nets’ Eastern Conference championship teams.
Welts, the president and CEO of the Golden State Warriors, is considered the father of the modern All-Star Game and played a pivotal role in launching the WNBA and marketing the 1992 Olympic Dream Team.
Washington was one of the greatest athletes of her time in basketball and tennis in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s.
You can go on and on. This class is loaded in part because the Hall of Fame shortened its waiting period for induction from five to three years for players, coaches and referees, allowing Nash and Allen to get in this year.
Even without Nash and Allen, it’s an impressive class. Add those two, and it’s one of the best. (USA Today/TNS)