Utah Jazz: Hall of Fame welcomes Dantley

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and Pat Riley were the marquee names of the star-studded class enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night. And inductee Dick Vitale, as expected, stole the show.

And former Utah Jazz star Adrian Dantley?

The 15-year NBA player, who last played in the league with Milwaukee in the 1990-91 season, was just happy to finally be invited there. Turns out, the seventh time was the charm.

Dantley — one of the most-prolific scorers in NBA history and the face of the Jazz franchise from 1979 to '86 — was inducted into the Hall of Fame after being a finalist six other times.

Friday's festivities provided validation for Dantley, whose No. 4 Jazz jersey was retired by his old team at EnergySolutions Arena in 2007. He played for seven NBA teams during his 15-year career, scoring over 23,000 points, making six All-Star teams and leading the league in scoring twice. But he never felt that he got the respect he deserved.

"Ever since I've been in high school, I've dominated at every level, but my critics always had something to say about me," Dantley said. "All those other guys, they were supposed to get in, they were talented. But I got in through hard work."

In his speech, Dantley called it "an honor" — even if overdue — and that he was "happy to join the Hall of Fame." He also cracked a joke about the lengthy process he endured.

"I am pleased to be inducted with the Class of 2008, especially with Cathy Rush," he said, referring to the former women's basketball coach of Immaculata College. "We have something in common. We waited and waited and waited."

Rush, a pioneer in women's sports, had been nominated five other times. That's just 10 fewer than the number of games she lost in her coaching career. She was 149-15 in her seven years at Immaculate, leading her team to three consecutive national championships between 1972-74.

Detroit Pistons and Shock owner Bill Davidson was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

It was Vitale, the longtime ESPN commentator, who held court, preaching with passion for almost 30 minutes about everything from basketball to broadcasting to family.

He connected all three in a story about his dad, who pressed coats during the day and was a security guard at night.

"I've been stealing money talking about a game, getting paid," he said. "That's why it breaks my heart when I see some athletes, chips on their shoulder. Are you serious? Flying charter planes? I don't want to hear about 80 games a year. What other job do you get four months vacation. Are you serious? Making millions if you can't play."