Basketball Corridor of Fame induction: Vince Carter enters as a Raptor, Seimone Augustus' epic speech steals present

Most athletes will let you know that they do not play for particular person accolades, however the Corridor of Fame is totally different. Being acknowledged as one of the best of one of the best in your given sport validates all of the laborious work and sacrifices they made alongside the way in which. On Sunday, 13 such legends have been honored with induction into the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Led by superstars comparable to Vince Carter, Seimone Augustus and Chauncey Billups, the night featured a number of speeches, some laughs, and a complete lot of tears. 

Let’s check out just a few highlights from Sunday’s ceremony.

Vince Carter goes in as a Raptor

Carter’s profession spanned 22 seasons, 4 many years and eight groups, so he had loads of decisions — however he confirmed on Sunday that he’ll enter the Corridor of Fame as a Toronto Raptor, the franchise that drafted him and the place he performed his first six-and-a-half seasons.

“It began there. I had some memorable moments with that group that created ‘Vinsanity,'” Carter stated throughout his speech. “Which is why, surely, I am going into the Corridor of Fame as a Raptor.”

There was additionally a humorous second when Carter’s cousin and former Raptors teammate Tracy McGrady interrupted his speech.

Carter was clearly the headliner of the night time, and he’ll go down as some of the prolific gamers — and arguably one of the best dunker — in basketball historical past.

Augustus steals the present

Being elected to the Corridor of Fame is essentially the most prestigious honor any athlete can obtain, however let’s be sincere — quite a lot of the speeches sound fairly … related. Not Seimone Augustus’.

The LSU and Minnesota Lynx legend began off her speech in exceptional vogue, singing an Erykah Badu track about her native Baton Rouge.

It solely bought higher from there, as she proceeded to ship a rhythmic spoken phrase poem about her basketball journey. It was actually a sight to behold, and was a breath of recent air. She concluded the speech with a teaser about her the following stage of her basketball life.

Billups shouts out Detroit

Billups was the primary honoree to take the stage, highlighting his unconventional path to the Corridor of Fame which included 4 NBA teams in his first 5 seasons. He finally discovered a house in Detroit, nonetheless, and he paid homage to town by donning a cool pair of shades.

“Then the NBA franchise that loves me like household lastly discovered me — Detroit,” Billups stated earlier than placing on his sun shades. “What up doe. If you understand, you understand.”  

Billups then pointed to former Pistons teammate and fellow Corridor of Famer Ben Wallace, additionally sporting sun shades on the stage. Lastly, Billups concluded by thanking his late grandmother.

“I am gonna depart my final thanks to my grandmother, who shouldn’t be right here in attendance,” Billups stated. “However thanks in your prayer. God answered it. We did it, grandma. We did it.”

Lakers legends honor Jerry West

An inductee for the third time — first as a participant, then as a member of the 1960 gold medal profitable Olympic males’s basketball staff and now as a contributor based mostly on his work as an govt — the late Jerry West was honored by his son, Jonnie, at the moment the senior director of professional personnel with the Golden State Warriors.

“Position mannequin. Mentor. Confidant. Father determine. You have been all these issues to so many,” Jonnie West stated of his father. “Contributor to the sport of basketball. That’s you in each single sense and that can stay on eternally.”

A number of Laker legends, together with Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, Michael Cooper and Vlade Divac, have been additionally on stage to honor West.

And right here is the complete record of the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame Class of 2024 honorees:

• Vince Carter — An eight-time NBA All-Star, Carter performed for eight groups throughout a record-breaking 22-year NBA profession. He made his title as a member of the Toronto Raptors earlier than experiencing extra success with the New Jersey Nets. Carter was the 1999 NBA Rookie of the 12 months and 2000 Slam Dunk Contest champion.

• Chauncey Billups — The No. 3 general decide within the 1997 NBA Draft, Billups finally joined the Detroit Pistons after bouncing round on a number of groups. He led the Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship, incomes Finals MVP honors within the course of. He earned 5 All-Star appearances and is at the moment the pinnacle coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

• Michael Cooper — A key a part of the “Showtime” Lakers dynasty of the Eighties, Cooper was a third-round decide in 1978 that went on to be chosen to eight All-Defensive Groups in 12 NBA seasons. He’s considered one of solely six guards ever to win Defensive Participant of the 12 months, and he received 5 championships as a member of the Lakers. After retirement, Cooper coached the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks to 2 WNBA championships.

• Walter Davis — A six-time NBA All-Star, Davis spent nearly all of his profession with the Phoenix Suns. He received Rookie of the 12 months in 1978 and holds the league report for many factors scored in a recreation earlier than lacking a shot, as he made his first 15 pictures for 34 complete factors in a 1983 recreation. Davis earned a gold medal on the 1976 Olympics taking part in for his faculty coach, Dean Smith. Davis died final November.

• Dick Barnett — A two-time NBA champion with the New York Knicks within the Eighties, Barnett was additionally a legendary collegiate participant at Tennessee State. His Tigers received three consecutive NAIA championships from 1957-59, and he graduated as the college’s all-time main scorer.

• Seimone Augustus — One of the embellished faculty gamers of all time, Augustus swept the foremost Participant of the 12 months awards in each 2005 and 2006 when she starred for the LSU Tigers. After being drafted first general by the Minnesota Lynx, she received 4 WNBA championships and made eight All-Star groups. She additionally earned three Olympic gold medals for Workforce USA.

• Michele Timms — Timms made her title throughout a legendary profession taking part in in Australia’s WNBL. She was a seven-time choice to the WNBL All staff and was twice named the Girls’s Worldwide Participant of the 12 months (1994, 1996). She helped Australia earn its first Olympic medal when she led them to bronze in 1996, and although she performed solely briefly for the Phoenix Mercury from 1997-2001, her No. 7 jersey was retired by the staff, making her solely the second WNBA participant ever to obtain the respect.

• Herb Simon — The longest-tenured NBA proprietor for the reason that loss of life of Jerry Buss, Simon bought the Indiana Pacers in 1983. Throughout his 4 many years of stewardship, the Pacers have been among the many NBA’s most constantly aggressive groups. Although they’ve by no means received a championship, the Pacers have missed the playoffs solely 9 occasions since 1990.
• Doug Collins — Acknowledged as a contributor for his lifelong achievements within the recreation of basketball, Collins has completed nearly all the pieces that may be completed within the sport. He was drafted No. 1 general in 1973 by the Philadelphia 76ers following a standout faculty profession. He embarked upon a profitable teaching profession with the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and 76ers. When not teaching, Collins can be a really skilled broadcaster, having referred to as video games for a number of networks.

• Bo Ryan — For 30 years, Ryan coached faculty basketball within the state of Wisconsin. His first head-coaching job got here in 1984 for Wisconsin-Platteville. He moved on to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1999, and at last, Wisconsin-Madison, the flagship state college, in 2001. His profession head-coaching report was 747-233, and in his closing full season, he led the Badgers to the nationwide championship recreation earlier than finally falling to Duke.

• Harley Redin — Redin coached each the boys’s and girls’s basketball groups at Wayland Baptist College. He went 151-88 with the boys from 1948-56 earlier than going 429-63 main the ladies’s staff. He earned medals teaching the Workforce USA girls on the 1959 and 1971 Pan American Video games and was inducted into the Girls’s Basketball Corridor of Fame in 1999.

• Charles Smith — The winningest coach in Louisiana highschool historical past, Smith received 9 state championships at Peabody Magnet Excessive College. He has two excellent 41-0 seasons and was inducted into the Nationwide Excessive College Athletic Coaches Affiliation Corridor of Fame in 2021.

• Jerry West — A two-time inductee as each a participant and a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Workforce, West now enters the Corridor of Fame for a 3rd time as a contributor. West, who died in June, was one of many architects behind the 5 Laker championships of the Eighties and the 5 they received between 2000-2010. West is the primary particular person ever to be inducted into the Corridor of Fame as each as a participant and a contributor.