NEW YORK (AFP) — Former National Basketball Association (NBA) stars Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups were among 13 inductees to the Basketball Hall of Fame that were enshrined in ceremonies on Sunday.
Carter was known for high-leaping dunks during a 22-season NBA career while Billups won an NBA title with Detroit in 2004, taking NBA Finals Most Valuable Player honors.
Legend Jerry West, already in the Hall as a player and member of the 1960 US Olympic team, was inducted again as a contributor for his work as an executive, becoming the first member of the Hall enshrined as a player and contributor. He died in June at age 86.
Others inducted included former NBA standouts Michael Cooper, Walter Davis and Dick Barnett, Australian star Michelle Timms, US college coaches Bo Ryan and Harley Redin, US high school coach Charles Smith, WNBA star Seimone Augustus and contributors Doug Collins and Herb Simon.
Billups, a five-time NBA All-Star, averaged 15.2 points and 5.4 assists over a 17-year NBA career and is the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers but recalled tough early days.
“I dedicated everything I had to the game — it just didn’t translate fast enough,” he said. “Stayed focused, stayed humble... I just kept fighting, kept scratching and it turned around.
“From the time I was drafted to this weekend, it was a tough road for me. I learned so much about myself. It kind of made me who I am.”
Carter, an eight-time NBA All-Star, was the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner and won Olympic gold with the US squad in 2000 at Sydney. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists a game.
“I played the game because I loved it,” said Carter, branded as “Half Man, Half Amazing” for his gravity-defying dunks.
“It wasn’t about chasing rings. You look at the stops that I had, they weren’t championship-caliber teams. But I went for an opportunity to play. I felt like I could still be a veteran.”
Cooper won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and was on eight NBA All-Defensive First Teams, taking the 1987 NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He also coached the Los Angeles Sparks to WNBA titles in 2001 and 2002.
Davis was a six-time NBA All-Star in a 15-year career and is the all-time scoring leader in Phoenix Suns history. He won 1976 Olympic gold and was the 1978 NBA Rookie of the Year,
Barnett played 14 NBA seasons in the 1960s and 1970s, taking league titles with New York in 1970 and 1973.