Michael Jordan today was voted into the basketball Hall of Fame — no surprise there.
But who else was enshrined in hoops immortality?
If you guessed David Robinson, Jerry Sloan, John Stockton and C. Vivian Stringer, you probably saw or heard news reports already. If not, keep reading:
Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player ever, finished his 15-year career with 32,292 points, third behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. He was five times voted MVP and won six NBA championship rings with the Chicago Bulls, plus another national title in college with North Carolina. He is now a minority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
Robinson spent his entire NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning two championships while being named to 10 All-Star teams. He also won an MVP award. Robinson won two Olympic gold medals and was a part of the original 1992 “Dream Team.”
Stringer won more than 800 games in her career and ranks third on the women’s all-time career wins list. She is the first coach to lead three schools to the NCAA Final Four, including Cheyney State, University of Iowa and Rutgers University where she currently coaches. Stringer is also enshrined at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Stockton played his entire career with the Utah Jazz, racking up 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals, both NBA records at his retirement. He was named to 10 All-Star teams and played in two NBA finals. Like Robinson, he won two Olympic golds and was a member of the first “Dream Team.”
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Sloan began as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls before joining the Utah Jazz. He is the only NBA coach to win more than 1,000 games with a single team while compiling a winning percentage over .600. Sloan led the Jazz to two NBA Finals, 18 playoff appearances and is fourth on the NBA list of coaching victories.
The 2009 inductees were announced at a press conference in Detroit, site of the NCAA Final Four.
Jordan, Robinson, Sloan and Stockton each was elected in his first year of consideration. Stringer was named a finalist in prior years.
