“As an individual player, it’s something I never could have dreamed,” Pippen said of entering basketball's Hall of Fame. “It’s not an accolade that you can just go out and achieve. You have to impress people by the way you play the game. I tried to play the game the right way my whole career, played to win, and tried to be the best.”
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April 5, 2010 INDIANAPOLIS – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced that eight individuals and two teams have been named as the Enshrinement Class of 2010. The inductees include Jerry Buss, Cynthia Cooper, Bob Hurley, Sr., Karl Malone and Scottie Pippen, along with two celebrated teams: the 1960 USA Men’s Olympic team and the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team.” The Class of 2010 also includes three legendary players: Dennis Johnson, Gus Johnson and international star Maciel “Ubiratan” Pereira, all of whom will be honored posthumously. The announcement was made at a press conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, the site of the 2010 NCAA Final Four.
“We are very proud to introduce the historic Class of 2010, a diverse and distinguished group that includes six players, a coach, a contributor and two elite teams,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We look forward to honoring them in Springfield this summer with a week-long celebration of basketball, highlighted by the Enshrinement Ceremony on August 13.”
"The Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 represents everything that is great about the game of basketball," said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board. "From the two gold medal winning USA Olympic Teams, to a high school coach who dedicated his life to the game, to a diverse group of individuals who have excelled as collegians, professionals and great contributors to our sport, this group of Hall of Famers will be known as one of the great classes in history."
To be elected, finalists required 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2010 will be enshrined at the Springfield Symphony Hall on August 13, following a week of festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts to be staged August 7-13, 2010. Ticket packages to the 2010 Enshrinement Ceremony and all Enshrinement Events are on sale now and available by calling the Hall of Fame at (413) 231-5500. Additional information on Enshrinement Week will be announced in the near future, and information will be available at https://www.hoophall.com/enshrinement-tickets/
The Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010
JERRY BUSS – Contributor, has owned the Los Angeles Lakers since 1979, building one of the most successful organizations in the history of professional sports. The Lakers have won nine NBA championships during his tenure while capturing 16 Western Conference championships. During Buss’ ownership, the team has recorded the most wins and the highest overall winning percentage in the NBA. Buss owned the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA from 1996-2006, and the club captured two WNBA titles (2001-02) under his leadership. He also became the first NBA team owner of a D-League franchise when the Lakers bought the Los Angeles D-Fenders in 2006. Buss served two terms as Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors and has received numerous honors for his wide-ranging charitable interests.
CYNTHIA COOPER – Player, competed at the University of Southern California, where she won two NCAA Championships and participated in three Final Fours. As a member of the Houston Comets, she won four WNBA Championships and was named WNBA Finals MVP with each title. Cooper was named to three WNBA All-Star teams and was also selected WNBA regular season MVP twice. Cooper won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1988 and an Olympic Bronze Medal in 1992 to go along with two FIBA Women’s World Championship Gold Medals.
ROBERT “Bob” HURLEY, Sr. – Coach, was born in Jersey City, NJ and played college basketball at St. Peter’s before becoming the head coach at St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey City in 1972. Hurley has since compiled over 900 wins at St. Anthony’s while leading the team to 25 State Parochial Championships and three USA Today National Championships (1989, 1996, 2008). Hurley was twice named National Coach of the Year by USA Today (1989, 1996) and was elected to the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. He is only the third person elected to the Hall of Fame exclusively for his service to high school basketball (Morgan Wootten, Bertha Teague).
DENNIS JOHNSON – Player, was one of basketball’s toughest defenders, earning nine consecutive NBA All-Defensive team honors during his 14-year professional career. He was a major part of three NBA championship teams and won MVP honors at the 1979 Finals as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. He played with Seattle from 1976-80 and was traded to the Phoenix Suns, where he played from 1980-83. He finished his NBA career with the Boston Celtics (1983-90), winning NBA championship rings in 1984 and 1986. Known as “DJ” to teammates and fans, he was named to five NBA All-Star teams, scoring more than 15,000 points and compiling 5,000 assists before retiring in 1990. (Born: Sept.18,1954; Died: Feb. 22, 2007).
GUS JOHNSON – Player, was a five-time NBA All-Star (1965, ‘68-71) and a two-time member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team (1970 and ’71). Johnson helped lead the Baltimore Bullets to five playoff appearances in nine seasons, including the 1971 NBA Finals. He played 10 years in the NBA, scored 9,944 points (17.1 ppg) and grabbed 7,379 rebounds (12.7 rpg). Johnson also played for the Phoenix Suns (1972-73) and was a member of the 1973 ABA Champion Indiana Pacers. (Born: Dec. 13,1938; Died: April 29,1987)
KARL MALONE – Player, was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (1997, ’99) and a 14-time NBA All-Star for the Utah Jazz. He was named one of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players in 1996 and ranks second on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 36,928 points. Malone was selected as an All-NBA first team forward from 1989-99 and was named to the league’s All-Defensive first team from 1997-99. He won two Olympic gold medals, competing as a member of the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team” and the 1996 USA Olympic champions. Malone played collegiately at Louisiana Tech from 1981-1985. He finished his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2003-04.
MACIEL “UBIRATAN” PEREIRA – Player, was known as “The King” in his native Brazil. He earned a gold medal at the 1963 World Championship, a silver medal at the 1970 World Championship and a bronze medal at the 1964 Olympic Games. Closer to home, he won five South American Championships and 11 titles in the São Paulo League in Brazil. He played in three Olympic Games for Brazil and was inducted as a player to the FIBA Hall of Fame in September, 2009. He was awarded the FIBA “Order of Merit” honor. (Born: Jan.18,1944; Died: July 17, 2002).
SCOTTIE PIPPEN – Player, was a seven-time NBA All-Star (1990, 1992-97) and a member of six NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls (1991-93, 1996-98). He was a three-time All-NBA first team honoree and was voted to the NBA All-Defensive first team from 1992-99, along with two stints on the All-Defensive second team. Pippen won two Olympic gold medals as he was a member of the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team” and returned to help lead the USA to gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He won NBA All-Star MVP honors in 1994. Pippen also played with the Houston Rockets (1998-99) and Portland Trail Blazers (1999-2003). He is a native of Hamburg, Arkansas and played collegiately at the University of Central Arkansas (1983-87).
1960 USA OLYMPIC TEAM – Team, compiled an 8-0 record at the Rome Olympic Games and won its games by an average margin of 42.4 points. Ten players went on to play in the NBA and six team members have been enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, including coaches Pete Newell and Dutch Lonborg. The Hall of Fame players from the ’60 team are Walt Bellamy, Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West. Lucas and Robinson led the team in scoring with 17.0 ppg as the team averaged 101.9 ppg while holding its opponents to 59.5 ppg, a 42.4 point margin of victory.
1992 USA OLYMPIC TEAM known as “The Dream Team” – Team, compiled an 8-0 record at the Barcelona Olympic Games with an average margin of victory of 43.8. Coached by a Hall of Famer, the late Chuck Daly, the “Dream Team” was the first team made up primarily of NBA players, eligible to compete in international basketball for the first time because of the change of FIBA rules in 1989. Eight players from the team have been enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and two more (Malone and Pippen) are in the Class of 2010. The prior inductees include Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, David Robinson, and John Stockton. Hall of Fame coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Lenny Wilkens assisted Daly, while Chris Mullin, a 2010 Hall of Fame finalist, and college standout Christian Laettner of Duke University completed the roster. The ’92 Dream team was inducted into the USA Olympic Hall of Fame in 2009.