Vitale, who coached high school, college and briefly in the NBA, was enshrined as a contributor to the game after spending the past 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.

It was Vitale who gave Olajuwon the nickname, "The Dream," during his freshman year at Houston, where the 7-footer led the Cougars to three Final Fours. In the NBA, Olajuwon had 27,000 points, 13,747 rebounds and 3,830 blocks

"It was a dream that came true," he said.

Ewing also went to three Final Fours at Georgetown. He scored just under 25,000 points and had 11,607 rebounds in the NBA, becoming the New York Knicks' career leader in points, rebounds, blocked shots and steals, and earned two Olympic gold medals.

Olajuwon was asked Friday about the friendly rivalry he and Ewing shared while becoming two of the greatest centers in basketball history.

"Who said it was friendly?" Olajuwon replied.

Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas beat Olajuwon and the Houston Cougars in the 1984 NCAA championship game. But Olajuwon earned two NBA rings in Houston, the first 10 years later, by beating Ewing's New York Knicks in a seven-game series in 1994.

"I could not picture my career without Patrick," Olajuwon said before the induction ceremony. "We are so intertwined from college. We play alike in so many ways. We are blocking shots, steals, intimidation. When Patrick is at the other end of the floor, you know you are playing against your toughest opponent."

Ewing, who was 12 when he came to the United States from Jamaica, said he felt a kinship with Olajuwon, who grew up playing soccer and team handball in Nigeria. Both, he said, found their identity while playing basketball in their new country.

"When I played against Hakeem, I definitely wanted to be at my best," Ewing said. "I think he feels the same way. We both know what each other brings to the table — intensity, energy, effort. You would have to put out 110 percent to play against each other."

Riley, after winning championships as a player and assistant, won five more as a coach — four with the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s, and another with the Miami Heat in 2006. It took that final title, Riley said, to convince a lot of people that he really was a good coach.

"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.