Sixers Head Coach Larry Brown's Reaction

Larry Brown was the NBA's 2000-01 IBM Coach of the Year. Jesse D Garrabrant /NBAE/Getty Images

(Upon receiving the call from John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame):

"Oh man ... what a nice call. It's a thrill of a lifetime."

"I went through the process last year. I was just honored to be considered and this year when I was nominated I had the same reaction."

"To get into the Basketball Hall of Fame is an unbelievable feeling. When I got into the game, this is nothing I ever expected could happen. I love the sport so much, but you never stay in it as long as I have thinking you're career will wind up in the Hall of Fame."

"I look at the Hall of Famers who I played for and learned from, coach McGuire at North Carolina, coach McLendon, coach Iba, coach Wooden, Alex Hannum, Dean Smith, and to be joining them in the Hall of Fame is remarkable. It's hard to believe it's true."

"When you're at Kansas, you're at the place where the game was invented, so I have an appreciation for the game and its history. At UCLA, you get to be around coach Wooden. I've been very fortunate to be around the legends of basketball."

"I coach because I want people to get better as players and human beings. If you can affect them in a positive way, that's what coaching is all about. I love to coach because of the people I have been associated with."