Utah Jazz: Stockton, Sloan nominated for basketball hall of fame

PHOENIX — John Stockton and Jerry Sloan were so intertwined during two decades of basketball in Utah, it was only fitting they begin the road to Springfield together as well.

Stockton, the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals, and Sloan, the dean of current NBA coaches who recently passed the 1,000-victory plateau, were among 16 finalists announced for the 2009 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class.

The official announcement of inductees will come April 6 in Detroit at the NCAA Final Four, with the induction set for the weekend of Sept. 10-12 at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

The two Jazz finalists were joined by contemporaries Dennis Johnson, Michael Jordan, Bernard King, Don Nelson and David Robinson. The veterans committee nominated six-time All-Star Richie Guerin and Chicago institution Johnny "Red" Kerr, while Golden State player/coach Al Attles and New Jersey high school coach Bobby Hurley Sr. were tapped as contributors The women's committee selected WNBA star player and coach Cynthia Cooper and current Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, and the international committee nominated Russian Vladimir Kondrashin and Brazilian legend Maciel "The King" Pereira.

Robinson, the only finalist to attend Friday's announcement, called Stockton "an amazing guy" and one of the players he admired most during his career.

"Just the way he carried himself and approached the game, he was the consummate professional," Robinson said. "Even when he retired, he just disappeared off the face of the Earth. That showed his humility.

"Think about how many kids he inspired out there, thinking they could never make it to the NBA looking at that little guy dominating a game and saying 'Well, maybe. Maybe I can not only make it, I can be great.'

"I'm happy for John and I think he's a lock of the Hall of Fame. How can you not put him in?"

Stockton and Jordan, the five-time league MVP and six-time champion, are considered the two shoo-ins for first-ballot induction. They were teammates, along with Robinson, on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream team but battled each other in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, with Jordan's Bulls prevailing each time.

Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Nancy Lieberman said Stockton's influence on the game today remains strong, with the star point guards of the game using him as a touchstone.

"When I talk to Deron Williams or Jason Kidd or Chris Paul they all reference John Stockton and still watch game film of him," she said.