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#3 Chris Webber calls Isaiah Thomas “My Guardian Angel”
After several years of ‘will he, won’t he’, Chris Webber was finally inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The 5-time NBA All-Star and former Sacramento Kings superstar spoke about enjoying the journey and embracing the challenge of matching up to other power forwards and centers like Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal all within a week.
However, Webber reserved maximum praise for Isiah Thomas who, along with Charles Barkley, presented him into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Webber said:
“He [Isiah] was my guardian angel.”
Webber then went on to tell the story of when Isiah Thomas visited his home when he was a 16-year-old kid. Webber recalled that Isiah told him not to worry, and that Zeke “protected” him “from the vultures.”
The comment was in reference to the Ed Martin scandal at Michigan when Webber was alleged to have received illegal payments while on the men’s basketball team at the University of Michigan.
Webber was a member of the Fab Five, the iconic Michigan college hoops team from the early 1990s that went on to redefine basketball style by bringing a hip hop flavor to the game with their baggy shorts and black socks.
#2 Paul Pierce speaks the truth about Doc Rivers
Pierce’s enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was perhaps filled with the most fun moments. From apologizing to his mom for burning their house down as a 7-year-old, to actually naming each of the nine teams that passed on him in the 1998 NBA Draft before he was picked 10th overall by the Boston Celtics, Pierce’s speech provided everyone with plenty of laughs.
But Pierce reserved his best humor for former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. Pierce admitted to not starting off on the best footing when Rivers got to Boston. He said he knew that Rivers was trying to trade him. But then one day Pierce came to practice hung over before a game.
He messed up on a play and Doc came over to him. Paul was fearing the worst, but Doc instead told him to go home and get some rest.
“This is when I knew you was a player’s coach,” Pierce said of Rivers to everyone’s delight.
#1 Chris Bosh acknowledges Kobe Bryant’s greatness
Undoubtedly, the best speech of the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony belonged to Chris Bosh. He was the right mix of emotion, humour and intensity. From picking up moments from his childhood that spurred him on, to acknowledging the influence of his family, Bosh had everyone listening to him with rapt attention during his Hall of Fame speech.
Bosh made a particular effort to pay tribute to the late great Kobe Bryant. Bosh said that the Lakers legend was an inspiration to many players of his generation. He went on to narrate a story about when he was playing on the ‘Redeem Team’, the 2008 US Men’s Olympics basketball team.
Bosh wanted to establish himself as a young leader on the team by waking up bright and early every day for training camp in Vegas. On the very first day, the former Miami Heat star woke up and went for breakfast early, only to find Kobe Bryant drenched in sweat. Bryant had already finished practice.
Bosh went on to pay the ultimate compliment to Bryant’s dedication, saying:
“Legends aren’t defined by their successes. They are defined by how they bounce back from their failures.”
Also read: Top 5 NBA Hall of Fame induction speeches ever
Guess the Lakers players!
