The Inevitable Happens

The inevitable finally happened – Michael Jordan was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2009. Jordan enters with high company – former Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton, former San Antonio Spurs center David Robinson, current Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer.

Jordan’s entry into the Hall of Fame was inevitable as he was a five-time NBA MVP, six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls, a NCAA champions with the North Carolina Tar Heels, 32,292 points scored (third-highest in the NBA), a final career average of 30.12 points per game, and millions (if not billions) of dollars earned through endorsement deals.

Stockton spent his entire career with the Jazz and finished with 19,711 points, and holds NBA records in assist (15,806) and steals (3,265). Additionally, he holds the NBA record for most assist in a season (1,164 in 1990-91) and highest assist average in a season (14.5 in 1989-90).

Robinson, aka the “The Admiral”, spent his entire career with the Spurs that included two NBA championships, an MVP season, rookie of the year award, 10 All-Star selections, a scoring title, and two Olympic gold medals.

Sloan is the longest tenured head coach in major league sports with a single franchise. Sloan is the only NBA coach to win more than 1,000 games with a single team.

Stringer has led three separate schools to the Final Four in her 38-year career and she has coaching record of 825-280.