Former Golden State coach Don Nelson, the winningest coach in NBA history, was named one of 12 finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. Joining him were former Warriors Jamaal Wilkes, who was a member of the 1974-75 NBA champions, and super-scorer Bernard King.
Official press release:
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today, at NBA All-Star Weekend in Orlando, an elite list of players, coaches, an official and one team as the 12 finalists from the North American and Womens committees to be considered for election in 2012. The recognition of being honored as a Hall of Fame finalist is a career highlight in the sport of basketball. This years list includes previous finalists Don Nelson, Bernard King, Ralph Sampson, Jamaal Wilkes, Maurice Cheeks, Dick Motta, Hank Nichols and the All American Red Heads. Among the four first-time finalists are five-time NBA All-Star Reggie Miller, five-time NCAA Final Four coach Rick Pitino, two-time NBA Coach of the Year Bill Fitch and two-time Olympic gold medalist Katrina McClain. The Class of 2012 will be unveiled at the NCAA Final Four in April.
The finalists for the Class of 2012 are a decorated group consisting of some of the greatest leaders that we have ever seen in the game of basketball, said Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Governors. They represent all facets of the game from professional, collegiate, amateur and International levels for the sport.
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Also announced today are five Direct Elects who are the initial members of the Class of 2012. They include Mel Daniels voted in from the American Basketball Association (ABA) Committee, Don Barksdale from the Early African American Pioneers Committee, Lidia Alexeeva from the International Committee, Chet Walker from the Veterans Committee and Phil Knight from the Contributors Direct Election Committee. This year marks the second year of the direct elect process. Last year, the ABA and Early African-American Pioneers committees were added to maintain a strong focus on keeping history on the forefront of the voting process and to preserve a balance between two eras of basketball. These five individuals have been directly elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame and will be a part of the Enshrinement Ceremonies in September along with the eventual members from the North American and Womens committees.
The complete list of finalists include from the North American Screening Committee: players Maurice Cheeks, Bernard King, Reggie Miller, Ralph Sampson and Jamaal Wilkes; coaches Bill Fitch, Dick Motta, Don Nelson and Rick Pitino; and referee Hank Nichols. From the Womens Screening Committee: player Katrina McClain and team The All American Red Heads.
The Class of 2012 will be announced on Monday, April 2 at a news conference in New Orleans prior to the NCAAs Mens Championship game. A finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2012 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Mass. on Friday, September 7. Tickets to the 2012 Enshrinement and Induction Celebration are available by calling the Hall of Fame at (413) 231-5540.
North American Committee Finalists:
DON NELSON CoachNelson, the all-time winningest coach in NBA History with over 1,300 victories is one of only two coaches to be named NBA Coach of the Year three times (1983, 1985 and 1992). He spent over 40 years of his life as a player, coach and general manager. He has led teams to 18 playoff appearances where he amassed 75 playoff wins and is one of only two NBA coaches to win 250 games with three different teams. In 2007, he led the Golden State Warriors to the first 8 seed upset over a 1 seed in a seven-game series when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks. He also coached Dream Team II to a gold medal in the 1994 World Championships. Nelson is the only coach with 1,000 wins and multiple NBA championships as a player, where he won five titles with the Boston Celtics (1966, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 1976).
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BERNARD KING PlayerKing is a four-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA First-Team selection, NBA All-Rookie Team and was the NBA Comeback Player of the Year in 1981. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, he was a First Team All-America at the University of Tennessee before an NBA career that included stints with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Washington Bullets. He averaged over 22 points per game during his 15-year career including a 34.8 points per game average in the 1984 NBA Playoffs.
RALPH SAMPSON PlayerSampson is one of the top collegiate players of all-time, where at Virginia he became only the third three-time National College Player of the Year. He was a three-time Naismith Award winner, two-time Wooden Award recipient and led the Cavaliers to the NIT Championship and one Final Four appearance. He was only the sixth player in NCAA history to collect 2,000 points and 1,500 rebounds. In 1983, he was the No. 1 draft pick by the Houston Rockets. In the NBA, he was named to three NBA All-Star games, collected Rookie of the Year honors in 1984 and was named MVP of the 1985 NBA All-Star game.
JAMAAL WILKES PlayerWilkes, a California native, spent his entire high school, college and professional career in his home state, playing under Hall of Famer John Wooden at UCLA prior to a successful NBA career with the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. At UCLA, he would win two National Championships and receive All-America honors in 1974. He was also a three-time GTE Academic All-America selection. In the NBA, he won four championships while reaching the NBA finals six times. He was a three-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA All-Defensive second team and received Rookie of the Year honors in 1975.
MAURICE CHEEKS PlayerCheeks has been involved in the NBA either at the playing level or coaching level since 1978. As a player, he was named to four NBA All-Star games, a four-time NBA All-Defensive team selection, member of one NBA championship team and set the steals and assist records for Philadelphia. This Chicago native would then go onto coaching careers with the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers. He retired fifth on the NBA career list for both assists (7,392) and steals (2,310). Cheeks is currently an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
BILL FITCH CoachFitch is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year (1976 and 1980) who led the Boston Celtics to the 1981 NBA Championship. The Iowa native began his coaching success by leading North Dakota University to consecutive NCAA Division II Final Fours (1965, 1966) and was a staple on the sidelines for 25 NBA seasons with five different teams from 1970 to 1998. He recorded over 900 wins and ranks eighth in NBA history in victories while reaching five conference finals and becoming the second coach in history to lead a team to three straight 60-win seasons.
REGGIE MILLER PlayerMiller was one of the greatest clutch scorers in NBA history, playing his entire 17-season NBA career with the Indiana Pacers finishing as the franchises all-time leader in points (25,279) and steals (1,505). He was a five-time NBA All-Star, three-time All-NBA Third Team selection and won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1996. From Los Angeles, he guided UCLA to the 1985 NIT Championship and finished third on the schools all-time scoring list. He ranks second on the NBA all-time list for three-point field goals made (2,560) and attempted (6,486). He is ninth on the NBA career free-throw percentage list (.888) and seventh in career minutes played (47,619). In addition to some memorable NBA playoff performances, he has the most three-pointers made (320) in playoff history.
DICK MOTTA CoachMotta had coaching success at all levels of the gamestarting at the junior college level in 1954. Hes collected more than 1,000 victories while at the junior college, high school, collegiate and NBA levels. He guided the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship, won NBA Coach of the Year in 1971, led Weber State to two Big Sky regular season championships, and won a state high school championship in Grace, Idaho. Over his NBA career, he led five different NBA teamsthe Bullets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets.
HANK NICHOLS RefereeNichols focused his career in basketball around the rules of the game. A long-time NCAA basketball official who has refereed six national championship games, 10 final fours, three NIT Finals and 13 ACC Championshipsofficiated at the top of collegiate basketball for decades. He officiated on the world stage officiating two Olympic games and one European championship. After his officiating career, he would become the national coordinator of officials for the NCAA for over 20 years and was instrumental in the progression of rule changes at the collegiate level and he remains one of the most influential rules architects in history.
RICK PITINO CoachPitino is the only coach in mens history to lead three different schools to NCAA Final Four appearances as he did with Providence College, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville. He led Kentucky to the 1996 National Championship and then reached the title game again with the Wildcats the following year. He has won over 600 games in his collegiate career, reached the Final Four five different times (1987, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2005), led his teams to 20 postseason appearances and won nine conference tournament championships. He earned Coach of the Year honors from different sources three different years. Pitino also held two stints as an NBA head coach with the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, leading the Knicks to two playoff appearances.
Womens Committee Finalists: ALL AMERICAN RED HEADS TeamThe All American Red Heads are known as the female version of the Harlem Globetrotters and the first womens professional basketball team. The team regularly played more than 200 games per season, winning 70 of them while touring thousands of miles reaching 49 states, Canada and the Philippines. Over six decades (from 1936 to 1986), the team broke social barriers and stereotypes playing in small towns and rural hamlets, as well as Madison Square Garden and Chicago Stadium.
KATRINA McCLAIN PlayerMcClain is one of the most decorated athletes in USA Basketball national team history, winning two Olympic gold medals (1988 and 1996), Olympic Bronze (1992), three FIBA World Championship medals (gold in 1986 and 1990; bronze in 1994) and five more medals at the Goodwill Games, Pan Am Games and World University Games. She was named the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year in 1988 and 1992. Before stepping onto the International stage, she was a two-time Kodak All-America (1986, 1987) and the 1987 WBCA National Player of the Year at the University of Georgia.