Nash, Kidd, Hill in 13-member Hall of Fame class
SAN ANTONIO — Steve Nash was an unsung Canadian kid who got one significant U.S. basketball scholarship offer. Jason Kidd was an Oakland hoops prodigy ticketed for superstardom from childhood.
After parallel careers that first crossed during college workouts a quarter-century ago, two of the best point guards of their generation are thrilled to be headed into the Basketball Hall of Fame together.
“It’s even more special when it’s with him, and with so many people you respect,” Nash said.
Nash, Kidd, former Orlando Magic player Grant Hill and Ray Allen learned Saturday that they are among the 13-member Hall of Fame class that will be inducted in September.
The class also includes Maurice Cheeks, Tina Thompson, coach Lefty Driesell, Charlie Scott, longtime executive Rick Welts, NBA executive Rod Thorn, Katie Smith, the late Ora Mae Washington and Croatian star Dino Radja. Most of the inductees appeared together before the Final Four semifinals in San Antonio, beginning the fivemonth stretch of togetherness before the ceremony in Springfield, Mass.
Nash went on to become a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and an eighttime All-Star while Kidd earned 10 All-Star selections and claimed a championship ring in Dallas in 2011.
They’re both also bonded with Hill, the seven-time NBA All-Star who won two NCAA titles at Duke. The trio’s professional careers all encompassed roughly the same two-decade stretch, and they exchanged excited text messages earlier this week when they learned of their impending Hall trip.
Allen, a 10-time All-Star, is the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history and a two-time league champion whose career also encompassed roughly the same two-decade stretch as his three fellow inductees.
The class also includes two giants of the modern women’s game. Thompson was the first draft choice in WNBA history and a fourtime league champion, while Smith is the top scorer in women’s professional basketball history.
Driesell, best known for his 17 seasons at Maryland, is the only NCAA coach to win 100 games at four different schools. Scott is a fivetime NBA All-Star who also excelled in the ABA.
Scott was the first black scholarship athlete at North Carolina before his championship-winning NBA career with the Suns and Boston Celtics.
Cheeks is a four-time NBA All-Star and one of the greatest defensive point guards in hoops history.
Welts, the first openly gay NBA executive, has worked in several aspects of the game, including the launch of the WNBA. The former president of the Phoenix Suns, he became the Warriors’ president and chief of operations in 2011.
Thorn has a lengthy career as a player, coach and executive. He served as the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations between stints in the front offices of the Bulls and Nets.
Radja was one of the greatest European players of his generation. The Croatian scorer also played four seasons for the Boston Celtics.
Washington (1898-1971) was a spectacular athlete who excelled at tennis but also played on 11 consecutive Women’s Colored Basketball World’s Championship teams.