NBA Inducts Hakeem, Patrick and Dickie V into Hall of Fame
I’ve tried to catch some induction ceremonies over the years and even recorded a few of them. I’ve never loved a ton of hall of fame athletes enough to actually watch their speeches. I’m an extremely loyal fan to certain teams but I hold certain players in very high respect. For example, I hate Derek Jeter but he can play. I respect him, I won’t watch his hall of fame speech and I still stick by the fact that if he was a Kansas City Royal we wouldn’t know who he was or he’d be average. He was made to shine in New York City and has done just that over the years. Some of my favorite speeches were by my favorite athletes…Walter Payton and Ryne Sandberg. In fact, when both gave their speeches I actually wept because of the love they clearly showed for the game they played so well.
The NBA inducted Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon and Adrian Dantley as players and all of them deservedly so. I grew up in Utah watching Adrian Dantley and he was a gifted and incredible scorer. He was so good for his size it was crazy. He was a player who had an offensive arsenal that was incredible for a player who could barely dunk. He could post up and score and no matter what happened you were going to foul him. I loved AD.
With Ewing and Olajuwon you had two of the greatest big men in the leagues history. Hakeem won his rings with Houston while Patrick never got his. It doesn’t diminish what he meant to basketball in New York. Not a lot of people came out on top against Michael Jordan. Olajuwon had the greatest footwork of any player since Kevin McHale and would’ve probably been called for traveling 20 times in a typical college game but didn’t in the NBA. He was a shot blocking fool and had an unstoppable spinning jump shot on the baseline. He was incredible.
But the man who made me cry this year was Dick Vitale. I will never forget watching his speech and I was wishing he would keep talking. I never thought I’d say that because sometimes I’m watching a game he’s working and I want nothing more than for him to be quiet. Dick Vitale loves basketball and is grateful for basketball and it gave him everything he has. He made me cry. He made me think of shooting hoops at my neighbors house in the snow outside and coming home with cold hands that were beyond dirty. He made me ache for the days I sat next to my father and watched countless games. It was as much as hanging out with my father as it was anything else. Dickie V brings that to life for me and everything else. He brings out the best that basketball has to offer to a kid growing up or a pro. I’ll watch this speech over and over and show it to my children because that passion is something I want and i want them to have.
Dick, you couldn’t coach a lick and I’m so glad for that because we all would’ve been missing out.
