SPRINGFIELD:
Dennis Rodman, Chris Mullin and Tex Winter were enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as part of a 10-strong intake.
Rodman, who once wore a wedding dress to one of his book signings, was well known for his antics off the court but he did find time to win several NBA championships. He was raised by his single-parent mother while growing up in a poverty-plagued and crime-ridden American inner city neighbourhood.
“I got out, but it took a lot of hard work and it took a lot of bumps along the road,” he said.
Speaking at Symphony Hall, Rodman thanked his NBA coaches for being father figures to him, as he never knew his biological father. Rodman described them as men ‘you can call any time of day’ who ignored his antics and ‘looked at an individual that had a good heart’.
Last year Mullin was enshrined along with his teammates from the 1992 American Olympic squad.
He becomes the 11th player from that team to also go into the hall of fame as an individual. Mullin played in five NBA all-star games and scored more than 17,000 points in his career.
The Hall of Fame is named after James Naismith, a Canadian who is credited with inventing the sport in 1891.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 14th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ