The 2008 Naismith Hall of Fame class includes several familiar names. Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, two 7-footers who dominated the center position throughout the 80s and 90s, headline the group of seven voted in. 

Between the two big men, they share six Final Fours and one national title, as Olajuwon led Houston over Ewing’s Georgetown team in 1984. Olajuwon won back-to-back NBA titles with the Houston Rockets in ’94 and ’95. Patrick Ewing failed to win a ring during his 17-year career, losing to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the playoffs five times.

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale will also be inducted in Springfield, Massachusetts on September 5. As reported by ESPN: 

“I can’t run, can’t jump, can’t shoot, but just have had a tremendous – I’d like to think – passion about the game,” said Vitale, who had a short stint as an NBA coach in the late 1970s but made his name as a college basketball analyst.

Pat Riley, who coached Ewing in New York, was also humbled by his election, calling it “unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.” Riley is the third-winningest coach in NBA history, and owns seven NBA titles; five as a head coach, one as an assistant and another as a player. 

In 2004, William Davidson became the first owner in sports history to win championships in three different professional leagues, as his Detroit Pistons, Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Shock all won championships. The 85-year-old is the eldest of ’08 class.

Adrian Dantley, who played for Davidson in Detroit, gets the nod into the hall after being a six-time finalist. Dantley played for seven teams during his 15-year NBA career, which included six All-Star selections. 

Cathy Rush finished her women’s coaching career at Immaculata University with a 149-15 record, which included three straight AIAW national championships from 1972 to 1974. Cathy admitted her players were a key factor in her success:

“Being here with coaches and players, all of us as coaches know that we’re good coaches when we have good players, and we’re great coaches when we have great players, and I had some great players.”

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