Tracy McGrady, a seven-time All-NBA player who twice led the league in scoring, is going into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
“This isn’t a dream come true because when I was a kid I didn’t even know what the Hall was,” McGrady said back when his nomination was announced in February.
McGrady is one of the NBA headline names going into the Hall of Fame. Joining him will be Jerry Krause, the recently deceased Chicago Bulls GM who built six teams that won championships around Michael Jordan.
Krause famously clashed with Jordan, but he earned this honor. While Krause inherited Jordan, he put Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, John Paxson, B. J. Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Ron Harper, Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc, Luc Longley and Steve Kerr around MJ. Krause also put Phil Jackson in the coaching chair.
McGrady averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.4 rebounds in a 15-year career that included being named to seven All-Star teams. Younger fans may forget what a great scorer he was early in his career, when for a few years there was a “McGrady or Kobe” debate.
Other highlighted people getting into the Hall of Fame include:
• Rebecca Lobo, college national champion, gold medalist, and one of the first stars in the WNBA.
• Bill Self, the Kansas coach who won a national championship with that program in 2008.
• Muffett McGraw, the coach of Notre Dame’s national powerhouse women’s team.
• Zack Clayton, Nikos Galis, Mannie Jackson, Tom Jernstedt, Jerry Krause, Rebecca Lobo, George McGinnis, Tracy McGrady, Muffet McGraw and Bill Self are the 11 new members.
Also, legendary TNT sideline reporter Craig Sager and the New York Time’s Henry Araton will be honored with the Hall’s Curt Gowdy Media Award.
Players not making the cut this year included Chris Webber, Sidney Moncrief, and Tim Hardaway.