Former NBA greats Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard headlined a stellar class that was officially welcomed into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday night, writes Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press.
Anthony, who ranks 12th in career scoring with 28,289 points, played for six teams in 19 NBA seasons. The 10-time All-Star was serenaded with “Melo!” chants as he walked to the podium to deliver his induction speech and teared up as he addressed the crowd.
“Tonight I just don’t step into the Hall of Fame, I carry the echoes of every voice that ever told me I couldn’t,” Anthony said. … “I had to build a new road. I had to write a new ending.”
“I never got an NBA ring,” he later added. “… But I know what I gave to the game.”
Howard was one of the league’s most dominant big men during his 18-year career, which saw him spend time with seven teams. He paid tribute to other historically great centers, mentioning Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Dikembe Mutombo, and referenced his long-running “Superman feud” with Shaquille O’Neal.
The eight-time All-Star wrapped up his speech with a message for his children, telling them, “You only die once, but you live every day.”
Anthony and Howard were also inducted as members of the “Redeem Team,” which reclaimed the gold medal for the U.S. at the 2008 Olympics after Team USA for the bronze in 2004. All the members of that team were present at the ceremony, except for Kobe Bryant, who died in 2020. Anthony and Howard joined Bryant, Jason Kidd, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as double enshrinees.
Also inducted on Saturday were former WNBA players Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, Bulls coach Billy Donovan, Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and longtime referee Danny Crawford. Arison delivered one of the night’s funniest lines, referencing LeBron James‘ prediction when he teamed up with Bosh and Wade in Miami.
“In 2010, with Dwyane, LeBron and Chris Bosh we knew we could win,” Arison said. “Not one, not two … I guess it was just two.”
Did the Bulls know Billy Donovan was getting inducted before they extended him? Seem like it.
Maya Moore is the best on and off the court!!!
^ A+ take. Maya 2015 GOAT season!
I love how satisfying the Basketball HOF is compared with the Baseball one, which has like 2 dozen first ballot guys not allowed in despite having the numbers and in many cases even being dead. Hoops just puts in everyone who was good, easy. But with baseball, their ban WAS the punishment – all these guys got punished, so why did that punishment keep going and extending into the HOF? Do they know how hard MLB is? And all these guys were MLB-level talents from the jumpoff, so its obvious they were juicing mostly to get stronger and stay healthier. Both pitchers and hitters did it and were entertaining us, punish them by banning them from the current league only, but put them ALL in the HOF. Baseball is so petty and ridiculous compared to hoops.
That’s because the HOF is supposed to be the best of the best. Not the very good players who achieved nothing in their careers.
No one takes the basketball hall of fame seriously.
Carmelo’s case for the Hall woulda been a lot more convincing if he had played on just one or two teams. Regardless, I think he’s more Hall-worthy than Dwight Howard, Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady are/were.
It’s not the “Hall of the best of the best” though. The problem is the word “fame” can mean anything and is a totally subjective metric. They really do need to change that word about it to align more with what you said, or just use stats. If it was “Hall of the best statistical players” at least it would be honest.
“Hall of fame” is so wishy washy and easily corruptible, especially with writers who are actual jerks in real life who are petty and who hold grudges and cannot maintain neutrality with certain players. All the writers hated Bonds in real life every second of his career, of course they would do what they can to leave him out.
Weak class.
Have to agree with Davey on this one (not that I can directly respond to his comment!). As much as I loathe steroid use, I believe those that used or are highly likely known to have used should be let in…just with a higher standard applied. It’s insane to me that someone like Bonds isn’t in as he was not only on a HOF track before he roided up, but was also the best of the best amongst the roiders. Ultimately the best of the best should be in, whether it’s non-roiders vs non-roiders or roiders vs roiders. Obviously far from a perfect approach, but it would be better than what baseball is doing now.
Also appreciate the fact that there’s less politics in the Bball HOF compared to baseball, where some guys get artificially slow rolled in because they weren’t as good as some of the others. Pretty silly if you ask me.
That is odd you cannot reply to my comments, I noticed quite a few posters doing this – replying to me when I cant see it because its not a direct reply, so I don’t even know they are talking about me…site bug? Aristotle and I have long not been able to reply to each other despite neither of us having each other muted, its been a thing on here for a whole.
Bonds, Clemens and now he’s re-eligible, Shoeless Joe Jackson all gotta go in the Baseball Hall no matter what. Pure stupidity to leave them out, especially since Rose will likely be “presidential pardoned” into it in 2027. Put everyone in who has over 50 fWAR or BWAR in too, like, all those players were stars in their primes, that should be enough to make MLB.
Too many people think “3000 hits 300 wins 500 homers or nope” – like, why? “Greatness” or worse “fame” is arbitrary and varies from person to person. Fame could mean anyone, like Mark “the Bird” was famous, but he only played like 2 years, so why isn’t he is the hall of “fame” again, if its just “fame” and not at least “greatness”? To me, all players with over 50 WAR are great at MLB and belong in there. Kevin Brown was completely unhittable for a decade and won a ring as the ace #1 pitcher on the team…what more does he need here? Cmon. At least with basketball its “yeah, sure, why not?” with baseball its “I’m a writer no one respects or likes and openly makes fun of, here’s why I am brave for not voting for a guy who statistically deserves to be in the HOF”, like, they are proud of themselves for diluting the quality of the thing they are supposed to be defending lol