"I truly believe that what happened in Miami validated what probably a lot of people felt that I might not be able to do, and that what I did in New York and what I did in L.A. maybe was because there was just a lot of good players," said Riley, now president of the Heat.

Dantley, who made it in after being a finalist for the Hall of Fame six other times, also spoke of validation Friday. He played for seven NBA teams during his 15-year career, scoring over 23,000 points. 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."

Rush was 149-15 in her seven years as a head coach. She led Immaculata to three consecutive national championships in the 1970s, and is considered a pioneer in women's sports.

"Young girls and young women now have people to look up to, idols that are also in team sports as well as individual sports," she said.

Davidson, whose teams have won three NBA titles and two in the WNBA, enters the Hall of Fame as a contributor. He played a key role in structuring the NBA's salary cap and free agency systems. Davidson was also among the first owners to put NBA teams on private planes and luxury boxes closer to the court in arenas.

Vitale, who gave Olajuwon his nickname "the Dream," also will go in as a contributor. The ESPN color analyst has spent 30 years becoming the voice of college basketball — extolling the virtues of "PTPers (Prime Time Players), screaming "Awesome baby!" and being passed overhead through student sections across the country.

His biggest lament Friday was the time limit Hall of Fame officials gave him for his acceptance speech.

"I cannot say hello in 5 minutes," Vitale said.