"Hiya, Yao." "Hello, Shorty."
Congratulations to the newest members of the Basketball Hall of Fame: Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson, Yao Ming, WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, and Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf (also co-owner of the White Sox, congrats even though I don't like him).
Congratulations also to the families of posthumous inductees: 1960s NBA and 1970s ABA great Zelmo Beaty, referee Darrell Garretson, longtime black-college coach John McClendon, and early black star Cumberland Posey.
"Cum" Posey, who played before not just integration but his nickname becoming R-rated, is the 1st man elected as a player to both the Baseball and the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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For this list, I'm only including NBA players, coaches and executives, not guys who got in mostly on the basis of their college or pre-NBA pro tenure. I'm also relaxing the 4-season rule that I put in for baseball and pro football, because a lot of guys were with teams for less than that but were still vital contributors to an NBA title with a team.
I'm also amending my separate-cities rule to include all Nets -- "New York" (Long Island), "New Jersey" and "Brooklyn," ABA and NBA -- as the same franchise. And I'm not doing this because I still root for them. At the moment, I remain an NBA free agent, a fan without a team.
Ties broken by most players, then by fewest seasons in the league (more HOFers per year), then by most non-broadcasters.
First list: All HOFers. Second list: Living HOFers.
1. New York Knicks, 22: Dick McGuire (player, coach & executive), Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, Harry Gallatin, Richie Guerin, Tom Gola, Willis Reed (also coached for them), Dave DeBusschere (player & executive), Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Bill Bradley, Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, Jerry Lucas, Spencer Haywood, Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, Joe Lapchick (coach), Red Holzman (coach), Pat Riley (coach), Ned Irish (owner), Marty Glickman (broadcaster), Bob Wolff (broadcaster), Marv Albert (broadcaster), John Andariese (broadcaster).
Surprise: The Knicks have the most! Although they still trail the Celtics when you count only guys who were elected as players, 18-14.
Hubie Brown coached the Knicks, but was elected as a broadcaster, and not for the Knicks. Phil Jackson played for the Knicks, but was elected as a coach, and has never coached them. His maneuvers as team president haven't yet been Hall-worthy, either. Larry Brown only coached one season, possibly the worst of his career, partly the fault of general manager Isiah Thomas. Because he never played for the Knicks, and he was not elected as an executive, you can't count Isiah as a Knick HOFer -- and why would you want to?
2. Boston Celtics, 21: Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Ed Macauley, Frank Ramsey, Tommy Heinsohn (elected as player & a coach, was also a broadcaster), Bill Russell (player & coach), K.C. Jones (player & coach), Sam Jones, Tom "Satch" Sanders, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Dennis Johnson, Walter Brown (founder & owner), Red Auerbach (coach & executive), Johnny Most (broadcaster).
Hard to believe the Celtics don't have the most. That won't last, though: Due to having won the 2008 title, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will probably be elected, and Rajon Rondo might be.
3. Los Angeles Lakers, 15: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West (player & executive), Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Bob McAdoo, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Sharman (coach), Pat Riley (coach), Phil Jackson (coach), Jerry Buss (owner), Chick Hearn (broadcaster).
Kobe Bryant will join them, since his Colorado incident has been unofficially swept under the rug by the NBA establishment. Rod Hundley played for the Lakers, but was elected as a Utah Jazz broadcaster.
4. Philadelphia 76ers, 12: Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham (player & coach), Julius "Doctor J" Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Alex Hannum (coach), Larry Brown (coach), Harvey Pollack (executive), Bill Campbell (broadcaster).
Doug Collins, who both played for the Sixers and was their head coach, has been elected as a broadcaster, but not for the Sixers, and thus can't be counted with them. Dolph Schayes was the team's 1st coach after it moved from being the Syracuse Nationals in 1963, but can't be counted as a Sixers' HOFer. Jack Ramsay is in the Hall as a coach, but for his performance elsewhere, and was largely responsible for the breakup of the 1965-68 Sixer team that really should have won more, and was turned from the best record the NBA had yet seen (68-13 in 1967) into still the worst it has ever seen (9-73 in 1973) in just 6 seasons.
5. Detroit Pistons, 12: Dave DeBusschere, Bailey Howell, Bob Lanier, Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Chuck Daly (coach), Larry Brown (coach), Fred Zollner (owner), William Davidson (owner), Bob Wolff (broadcaster). If Grant Hill is ever elected, it will be for what he did at Duke, but he can be counted here.
6. Chicago Bulls, 10: Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Jerry Sloan, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson (coach), Tex Winter (coach), Jerry Reinsdorf (owner), Jim Durham (broadcaster).
Philadelphia Warriors, 9: Joe Fulks, Paul Arizin, Andy Phillip, Neil Johnston, Tom Gola, Wilt Chamberlain, Guy Rodgers, Eddie Gottlieb (founder & owner), Bill Campbell (broadcaster).
7. Houston Rockets, 8: Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy, Moses Malone, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo, Yao Ming. Oddly, former player and coach Rudy Tomjanovich has not yet been elected.
8. San Francisco/Golden State Warriors, 8: Guy Rodgers, Nate Thurmond, Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, Robert Parish, Chris Mullin, Sarunas Marciulionis, Don Nelson (coach).
Since they've only moved within the San Francisco Bay Area since 1962 (San Francisco to Oakland in 1971, and plan to move back to San Francisco for the 2017-18 season), I'm counting them as a single team. Wilt Chamberlain wasn't with this version of the Warriors long enough to count, although I would count him if the Warriors had won, rather than lost, the 1964 NBA Finals. Bill King was the longtime radio voice of all 3 Oakland teams -- the Athletics, the Raiders and the Warriors -- but, for all the respect he earned, strangely, never received any of sport's Hall of Fame's award for broadcasters during his lifetime, and still hasn't since his death. As for Steph Curry, he certainly looks like he's headed for Hall qualification.
St. Louis Hawks, 8: Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan, Alex Hannum (player-coach), Ed Macauley, Clyde Lovellette, Slater Martin, Lenny Wilkens, Zelmo Beaty.
Rochester Royals, 7: Al Cervi (player & coach), Arnie Risen, Bob Davies, Bobby Wanzer, Red Holzman, Maurice Stokes, Les Harrison (owner). Holzman was elected as a Knicks coach, but could have been elected as a player anyway, so I'm counting him here.
9. Portland Trail Blazers, 6: Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Arvydas Sabonis, Scottie Pippen, Jack Ramsay (coach), Bill Schonely (broadcaster). Pippen was only a Blazer for 3 seasons, but that included a trip to the Western Conference Finals, when they were probably cheated out of the NBA Finals by the Lakers, so I'm counting him here.
10. Milwaukee Bucks, 6: Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Don Nelson (coach), Wayne Embry (executive), Eddie Doucette (broadcaster).
11. Indiana Pacers, 6: Mel Daniels, Roger Brown, Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Bob "Slick" Leonard (coach), Jack Ramsay (coach). Although Larry Bird was a head coach and executive for them, that's not why he was elected, and so he can't be counted here.
Minneapolis Lakers 6: George Mikan, Jim Pollard, Slater Martin, Clyde Lovellette, Vern Mikkelsen, John Kundla (coach). Essentially, their starting 5 and their head coach for their 5 NBA Championships in 6 seasons, 1949-54. Bud Grant, the Hall of Fame coach of the Minnesota Vikings, also played for the Minneapolis edition of the Lakers, but obviously he can't be counted here.
12. Utah Jazz, 5: Adrian Dantley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jerry Sloan (coach), Rod Hundley (broadcaster).
13. Atlanta Hawks, 5: Walt Bellamy, Pete Maravich, Dominique Wilkens, Dikembe Mutombo, Lenny Wilkens (coach). 'Nique and Lenny spell their names differently, and are not related. Lenny played for the Hawks, but that was in St. Louis.
14. Denver Nuggets, 5: Dan Issel, David Thompson, Alex English, Dikembe Mutombo, Larry Brown (coach).
Cincinnati Royals, 5: Jack Twyman, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Nate "Tiny" Archibald, Wayne Embry.
Fort Wayne Pistons, 5: Andy Phillip, Bob Houbregs, Bobby McDermontt, George Yardley, Fred Zollner (owner).
14. Miami Heat, 4: Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton (2 years, I'm relaxing the rule for him), Pat Riley (coach & executive). Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will be elected. Tim Hardaway and Chris Bosh also might be.
15. Phoenix Suns, 4: Connie Hawkins, Charles Barkley, Jerry Colangelo (owner), Al McCoy (broadcaster). Despite being at least competitive, and usually very good, for most of their 48 seasons in the NBA, the Suns have really been short-changed. Paul Westphal (who played and coached for the Suns), Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle and coach Lowell "Cotton" Fitzsimmons should all be in the Hall by now. Cases could also be made for Alvan Adams, Walter Davis, and coach John MacLeod. If Grant Hill is ever elected, it will be for what he did at Duke, but he can be counted here.
Seattle SuperSonics, 4: Lenny Wilkens (player & coach), Spencer Haywood, Dennis Johnson, Gary Payton.
Baltimore Bullets, 4: Buddy Jeannette (player-coach), Gus Johnson, Earl Monroe, Wes Unseld. There were actually 2 separate teams with this name, 1947-54 and 1963-73. Unseld spent most of his career with the franchise in Washington, but played 5 seasons with them in Baltimore.
Syracuse Nationals, 4: Al Cervi (player & coach), Dolph Schayes, Earl Lloyd, Danny Biasone (owner, whose idea for the 24-second shot clock may have made the NBA's long-term survival possible).
16. San Antonio Spurs, 3: George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, David Robinson. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich will join them, and Tony Parker might.
17. Cleveland Cavaliers, 3: Wayne Embry (player & executive), Lenny Wilkens (coach), Joe Tait (broadcaster). LeBron James, of course, will be added eventually.
18. New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, 3: Julius Erving, Drazen Petrovic, Bill Raftery (broadcaster). Eventually, Jason Kidd and Vince Carter will probably be added. As should Buck Williams, but he probably won't make it.
No, you can't count Rick Barry (played briefly for them in the ABA), Billy Cunningham (ditto), Lou Carnesecca (coached them to an ABA Division title between stints at St. John's), Larry Brown (coached them 2 seasons), Chuck Daly (ditto), or even, due to his later broadcast work for the Nets, Marv Albert (appropriately, on the network named YES!).
20. Washington Bullets/Wizards, 3: Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, Bernard King. Says a lot for this franchise that they've had none for the last 25 years.
Buffalo Braves, 2: Bob McAdoo, Jack Ramsay (coach).
21. Toronto Raptors, 1: Lenny Wilkens (coach). Vince Carter will probably be elected, and can be counted as a Raptor. No, you can't count Isiah Thomas as a Raptors executive -- and why would you want to?
22. Orlando Magic, 1: Shaquille O'Neal. No, you can't count Dominique Wilkins (1 season), Patrick Ewing (2, plus was an assistant coach) or Chuck Daly (2 seasons as a coach). If Grant Hill is ever elected, it will be for what he did at Duke, but he can be counted here.
23. Charlotte Hornets, 1: Alonzo Mourning. No, you can't count owner Michael Jordan.
24. Sacramento Kings, 1: Mitch Richmond.
25. Dallas Mavericks, 1: Don Nelson (coach). Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd will make it.
New Orleans Jazz, 1: Pete Maravich. Only played half of the team's first season in Utah, yet has his Number 7 retired by both the Jazz and the Pelicans.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder, none: A bit too soon to tell, but Kevin Durant could be their first HOFer, unless current head coach Scott Brooks gets in first.
27. New Orleans Pelicans, none: If Chris Paul is elected, he can be counted with this franchise, even though he only played for them as the Hornets.
28. Memphis Grizzlies, none: No, you can't count Jerry West for his time as a Grizzlies executive. If Pau Gasol is elected, he can be counted, although he'll most likely be remembered mainly as a Laker.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves, none: No, you can't count Kevin McHale (coach & executive). You can, when he is elected, count Kevin Garnett. If Christian Laettner is ever elected, it will be for what he did at Duke, but he can be counted here.
30. Los Angeles Clippers, none: No, you can't count longtime executive Elgin Baylor. Nor can you count Bill Walton, who hardly played for the franchise, and left before they were moved from San Diego to Los Angeles. As for current players, such consideration is still very premature.
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Now, for each team's living Hall-of-Famers. In this case, I'll count only the current teams:
1. Boston Celtics, 15: Bob Cousy, Frank Ramsey, Tommy Heinsohn, Bill Russell, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Satch Sanders, John Havlicek, Bailey Howell, Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Tiny Archibald.
2. New York Knicks, 13: Richie Guerin, Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Bill Bradley, Earl Monroe, Jerry Lucas, Spencer Haywood, Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, Pat Riley, Bob Wolff, Marv Albert, John Andariese.
3. Los Angeles Lakers, 12: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Magic Johnson, Bob McAdoo, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson.
4. Chicago Bulls, 8: Chet Walker, Artis Gilmore, Jerry Sloan, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Phil Jackson, Jerry Reinsdorf.
5. Detroit Pistons, 8: Bailey Howell, Bob Lanier, Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Larry Brown, Bob Wolff.
6. Houston Rockets, 7: Elvin Hayes, Calvin Murphy, Ralph Sampson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo, Yao Ming.
7. Philadelphia 76ers, 7: Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Larry Brown.
8. San Francisco/Golden State Warriors, 7: Nate Thurmond, Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, Robert Parish, Chris Mullin, Sarunas Marciulionis, Don Nelson..
9. Milwaukee Bucks, 6: Oscar Robertson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Don Nelson, Wayne Embry, Eddie Doucette.
10. Portland Trail Blazers, 5: Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Arvydas Sabonis, Scottie Pippen, Bill Schonely.
11. Atlanta Hawks, 5: Walt Bellamy, Dominique Wilkens, Dikembe Mutombo, Lenny Wilkens.
12. Denver Nuggets, 5: Dan Issel, David Thompson, Alex English, Dikembe Mutombo, Larry Brown.
13. Miami Heat, 4: Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, Pat Riley.
14. Utah Jazz, 4: Adrian Dantley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jerry Sloan.
15. Phoenix Suns, 4: Connie Hawkins, Charles Barkley, Jerry Colangelo, Al McCoy.
16. San Antonio Spurs, 3: George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, David Robinson.
17. Washington Bullets/Wizards, 3: Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, Bernard King.
18. Cleveland Cavaliers, 3: Wayne Embry, Lenny Wilkens, Joe Tait.
19. Indiana Pacers, 3: Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Slick Leonard.
20. New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, 2: Julius Erving, Bill Raftery.
21. Toronto Raptors, 1: Lenny Wilkens.
22. Orlando Magic, 1: Shaquille O'Neal.
23. Charlotte Hornets, 1: Alonzo Mourning.
24. Sacramento Kings, 1: Mitch Richmond.
25. Dallas Mavericks, 1: Don Nelson.
26. Oklahoma City Thunder, none.
27. New Orleans Pelicans, none.
28. Memphis Grizzlies, none.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves, none.
30. Los Angeles Clippers, none.
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