Now here's a shocker ... Jordan named to Basketball Hall of Fame
DETROIT - Air Jordan has a new name: Hall of Famer.
Michael Jordan was elected to the class of 2009 on Monday, set for induction in September with his Dream Team teammates David Robinson and John Stockton.
Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women's coach C. Vivian Stringer also are part of a class announced in Detroit, site of the men's Final Four.
Induction is Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
"I don't like being up here for the Hall of Fame because at that time your basketball career is completely over," Jordan said. "I was hoping this day would be 20 more years, or actually go in when I'm dead and gone."
Jordan's Hall of Fame selection was a slam-dunk after he retired as perhaps the greatest player in history. And he gave much of the credit Monday to his college coach.
"There's no way you guys would have got a chance to see Michael Jordan play without Dean Smith," he said.
His soaring dunks, Nike commercials and "Air Jordan" nickname helped stamp him as one the most recognizable athletes around the world.
He finished a 15-year career with the Bulls and the Washington Wizards with 32,292 points - the third-highest total in league history, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. His final career average of 30.12 goes down as the best, just ahead of Wilt Chamberlain's 30.07.
"Simply the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. He is the one player that each young person in this league should emulate and aspire to become. His work ethic, drive, skill level and competitive spirit were unmatched," said John Paxson, Jordan's former Bulls teammate and now team GM.
Jordan was a five-time NBA MVP, won six championships with the Bulls and another in college with North Carolina.
Jordan retired twice during his career. He first came back to the Bulls in 1994 and won three more championships before retiring again in 1998, then had an ill-fated two-year stint with the Washington Wizards before calling it quits for good in 2003.
He's now managing partner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
On Monday, he joked that when he saw Stockton and Robinson he was ready to put his shorts on again.
"I always want to be able to have you thinking I can always go back and play the game of basketball and put your shorts on," Jordan said. "Hall of Fame to me is like, 'OK, it's over and done with.' "
Jordan won two of his titles in the 1990s against Sloan, Stockton and the Jazz. Stockton spent his entire career with Utah and finished with 19,711 points and holds NBA records 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals.
He also holds NBA records for most assists in a season (1,164 in 1990-91) and highest assist average in a season (14.5 in 1989-90).
Robinson, who earned the nickname "The Admiral" from his college career at Navy, joined Stockton and Jordan as members of the NBA's 50th anniversary team.
He had a stellar 14-year career with the San Antonio Spurs that included two NBA championships, an MVP season, a rookie of the year award, 10 all-star selections, a scoring title and 2 Olympic gold medals.
Sloan, who did not attend the ceremony, 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
He played with the Bulls from 1966-76 and coached the team from 1979-82. His No. 4 jersey was retired by the Bulls in 1978.
Stringer has led three separate schools to the Final Four in her 38-year career and has an 825-280 mark spanning four decades.
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