When I lived in Toronto in 2006, there was no love lost between the Toronto Raptors and Vince Carter.
Returning a decade later, I noticed that tempers had cooled, and I spotted a few VC throwbacks in The 6.
Over the last month, the T-Dot has been draped in number 15 jerseys, hanging over the CN Tower like Drake on the cover of ‘Views’.
This weekend, the first player to have his number raised to the rafters in Toronto took flight to pilot the 2024 Naismith Hall of Fame class.
From making the dunk contest his own to jumping over the head of a seven-footer in the Olympics (rocking the ‘Menace II Society’ hairstyle), ‘Vinsanity’ was more than just the hops. Until LeBron says otherwise, Vince Carter holds the record for the longest tenure in the league.
With that being said, we will always remember how he went sky-high above the rim. So who better than the good doctor, Julius Erving, and his cousin, Tracy McGrady, to welcome him into immortality?
He wasn’t the only superstar of our generation to enter the Hall. Imagine a Boston Celtics Hall of Famer whom the Celtics gave up on.
It wasn’t until Chauncey Billups made it to Minnesota that those who had slept on him could see the mistake they made. Billups also shone with the golden Nuggets, but it was when this Portland coach blazed a trail to Detroit that he really became “Mr. Big Shot”, and a champion.
Some superstars are just that: unsung, but the ring changes all that, especially when surrounded by the legendary company of Lakers like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, who even made James Worthy’s big game disappear from the limelight.
Yet, they wouldn’t have finished the play of the job without their Coop-a-loop. Michael Cooper is one of the best defenders the game, or Larry Bird, has ever seen. If that wasn’t enough for the champ, he also went back-to-back with the WNBA’s LA Sparks as a coach.
Cooper became emotional when he was unable to express how much Jerry West meant to him or how much he misses him. The Logo’s son, Jonnie West, delivered a beautiful speech for the executive, even in the wake of the late great’s fractured relationship with the Lakers. Showing grace, Jonnie, who now works for the Warriors and is married to golf ace Michelle Wie, was charming, compelling, and candid.
West went into the Hall yet again, this time as an owner, orchestrating some of the best deals in the business. Imagine getting both Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant in the same month.
Coach Doug Collins also gave a stirring speech, red light be damned. Full of stories and sage wisdom from one of the best coaches basketball has seen. From the Olympic controversy with Russia to losing his Chicago Bulls gig, before the Zen master Phil Jackson filled the locker room with incense, DC has faced many heartbreaks on the hardwood. In the end, it was all about love.
The pearl of late, smooth shooter Walter Davis, seamlessly blended basketball highs in college (North Carolina) and the pros (Phoenix Suns). When it comes to college coaching, you can’t forget Bo Ryan, either. Peabody coach Charles Smith, with his 1,200 wins and counting, concluded the North America Committee of inductees.
Indiana Pacers owner Herb Smith joined Jerry West in the front office of Springfield. Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s veteran committees were honored with Dick Barnett and Harley Redin, respectively. The best speech belonged to the poetry of an Erykah Badu-inspired Seimone Augustus. Fellow WNBA great, bleach-blonde bomber Michele Timms also paid tribute to the women of Australia who led the way for basketball in her country…on a boat.
The basketball bible, SLAM magazine, and its founder Dennis Page were also honored alongside media luminaries like Debbie Antonelli, J.A. Adande, and NBA’s Inside Stuff. That’s entertainment, just like basketball movies such as ‘He Got Game’ and ‘Forget Paris.’ Spike Lee and Billy Crystal entered this Walk of Fame gallery as “SuperFans,” like Alan Horwitz and the original Joker of the pack, Jack Nicholson.
“Heeere’s Johnny,” and last but by no means least, a member of the Class of 2024, JoAn Scott, who was honored with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the NCAA and for USAB.
Each year, the length of the Hall grows even longer in legend, but for some bouncing the same eight pounds of air that Doug Collins brought up on stage, the journey is only just beginning.
