Miller, Nelson top 2012 Basketball HOF finalists
Published 8:37 pm Friday, February 24, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. — Reggie Miller has a chance to nail his legacy, just as he did so many 3-point shots.
The Indiana Pacers great with the smoothest of shooting strokes was announced Friday as a first-time finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is one of 12 finalists for the class of 2012.
Miller, a five-time All-Star, was joined as a first-time finalist by five-time NCAA Final Four coach Rick Pitino, former NBA coach Bill Fitch and two-time Olympic gold medalist Katrina McClain.
On the ballot again are Don Nelson, Maurice Cheeks, Bernard King, Dick Motta, Hank Nichols, Ralph Sampson, Jamaal Wilkes and the All-American Red Heads, known as the female version of the Harlem Globetrotters and the first women’s professional basketball team.
The 2012 class will be announced April 2 at the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans. A finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election.
Also honored Friday were five direct elections, who will serve as the initial 2012 inductees: Mel Daniels, voted by the American Basketball Association Committee; Don Barksdale from the Early African-American Pioneers Committee; Lidia Alexeeva from the International Committee; Chet Walker from the Veterans Committee; and Phil Knight from the Contributors Committee.
