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A retired NBA player can only hope for the day they are inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Every player spends a lifetime thinking only and only about their game. Every night and each morning thoughts of winning, thoughts of championships keep these players motivated.
Top five NBA Hall of Fame induction speeches ever
After giving their all to the league and the sport, only a handful of players are ever believed to be worthy of being enshrined amongst the greats in Springfield. so, the moment an NBA player is inducted into the Hall of Fame is special not just for him but also for all the fans who witnessed this event worldwide.
In light of the dreams and aspirations that go behind every player's journey to this fabled hall, we list the top five Hall of Fame induction speeches ever.
#5 Tim Duncan
In fifth position stands the most recently inducted member of this memorial - Tim Duncan. Duncan played for the San Antonio Spurs all his life. An elite center, he dedicated his career to winning championships and outperforming every player and team.
The five-time NBA champ was notorious for his reticent personality. In his 19 years in the NBA, he very rarely addressed crowds or reporters for more than a few minutes but during his Hall of Fame induction speech, the tight-lipped Timmy let loose. In his 12-minute long speech, Duncan made the crowd laugh, cry and live his journey.
Perhaps the most emotional moment of the speech came when The Big Fundamental thanked the two players he'll always be remembered alongside. In his show of gratitude to Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, Duncan had the following to say:
To look to your left and look to your right and have the same guys there year in, year out is unbelievable. It’s a blessing beyond what I can put into words.
#4 Shaquille O'Neal
Arguably the greatest NBA big man of the early 2000s and perhaps the whole of the league's history, Shaquille O'Neal was a beast amongst men. He was a man capable of pushing the league to change the rules of basketball, a man capable of accomplishing a threepeat his teammate Kobe Bryant.
During his speech, Shaq's overt humor was on full display. One of the best moments from his speech described how he imagines his father arguing with Wilt Chamberlain in heaven.
"If I know my father, he's up there arguing with Wilt Chamberlain right now, trying to convince him that his son is the most dominant big man that ever played the game," Shaq shared with the world.
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#3 Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman was the NBA's oddball. As the most flamboyant basketball star ever, every bit of Rodman oozed confidence and a strong sense of identity. He followed no one but did only what he believed needed to be done. The Chicago Bulls' star rebounder and trash talker was not only an off-the-court icon, but an on-court one as well.
His game antics separated him from everyone and so did his style of play. So it should not come as a surprise that his Hall of Fame speech was also very different from your usual NBA journey stories.
In between his eccentric recapatulations, there was a moment in his speech where we could see a glimpse into the internal and external conflict that followed Rodman around in his early life.
You know, I could have been anywhere in the world. I could have been dead. I could have been a drug dealer. I could have been homeless -- I was homeless. And a lot of you guys here that's been here and a lot of you guys here in the Hall of Fame know what I'm talking about; living in the projects and trying to get out of the projects and, ah, I did that. But, but it took a lot of work and a lot of bumps, bumps in the road.
#2 Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson was one of the most entertaining NBA players to watch. His on-court charisma was like none other. His moves, his fashion, his taste for larger-than-life moments, it made every 90s kid fall a little more in love with the game of basketball.
NBA aspirant players to this day study AI to improve their ball handling and game creativity. In 2000s, everyone wanted to be like AI but as a kid AI wanted to be like Mike. The following excerpt is one of the greatest moments in the history of Hall of Fame induction speeches:
AI: "You want to be fast like Isiah and you want to shoot like Bird, you know, rebound like Barkley, pass like Magic, be dominant like Shaq ... but, man, I wanted to be like Mike."
#1 Michael Jordan
Everything Michael Jordan did in the NBA, all his achievements with the Chicago Bulls, and all his glory will always remain untouched, unbeaten. For decades more, people will look at a talented young player and compare him to Jordan because Jordan will always be the sky that emcompasses the world of basketball.
There will never be anyone who can come close to his impact on the NBA, and so his Hall of Fame induction speech is without a doubt the best ever. In his speech, Jordan primarily discusses his competitive spirit, but while discussing the impact of media and their incessant comparisons, he had the following to say:
And then we had all those media nay-sayers. Oh ‘scoring champion can’t win an NBA title.’ Or ‘you’re not as good as Magic Johnson, you’re not as good as Larry Bird – you’re good, but you’re not as good as those guys.’ You know, I had to listen to all of this – and that put so much wool on that fire that it kept me – each and everyday, trying to get better as a basketball player. Now I’m not saying that they were wrong – I may have looked at it from a different perspective. But at the same time, as a basketball player I’m trying to become the best that I can, you know, and for someone like me who achieved a lot over the course of my career you look for any kind of messages that people may say or do to get you motivated to play the game of basketball at the highest level, because that is when I feel like I excel at my best.
