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Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021: Live updates from enshrinement ceremony

NBA.com Staff

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Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021: Live updates from enshrinement ceremony image

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is set to welcome 15 new members as part of the Class of 2021.

Headlined by seven players in Chris Bosh, Yolanda Griffith, Lauren Jackson, Toni Kukoc, Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace and Chris Webber, the class features a number of champions and all-time greats from the last 25 years.

MORE: All you need to know about the Hall of Fame Class of 2021

Joining those seven are Rick Adelman, Bill Russell, Jay Wright, Val Ackerman, Howard Garfinkel, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Bob Dandridge, Pearl Moore and Clarence "Fats" Jenkins.

Below, we've got you covered with updates and highlights from a special night in the basketball world.

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021: Live updates from enshrinement ceremony

The enshrinement ceremony is underway!

Chris Webber

The first overall pick in the 1993 draft, Webber would win the Rookie of the Year in his first season, before spending 15 years in the league and claiming five All-Star nods and five All-NBA selections. 

Webber discusses the impact Isiah Thomas has had on his life.

We've seen Webber work with Charles Barkley in recent times on the mic, though Barkley's influence has been far reaching.

Val Ackerman

Bill Russell 

Bill Russell has become the fifth person to enter the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.

Russell received a message from former president Barrack Obama. Russell was the first African-American head coach to win an NBA title with the Celtics in 1968.

Toni Kukoc

One of the best international players to have success in the NBA, Kukoc was an integral part of the Chicago Bulls titles in 1996,97 and 98.

"I would like to thank Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for kicking my butt during the Olympics in Barcelona and motivating me to work even harder to become an important part of the Chicago Bulls."

Yolanda Griffith

“I was unknown. I came out of nowhere. I never gave up on my dreams and here I am at the pinnacle, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.”

Yolanda Griffith's Hall of Fame resume stacks up with the absolute best. A WNBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP, Griffith did it all. 

Rick Adelman

With 23 seasons as an NBA head coach, Rick Adelman took his sqauds to the postseason in 16 of those seasons. 

 

Adelman spent many seasons on the sidelines with the Sacramento Kings, working alongside another inductee of the Class of 2021, Chris Webber.

Ben Wallace

Undrafted, Ben Wallace forged a career that leaves him as one of the most dominant defensive big men to play the game.

“No was not an option. I kept marching. I kept fighting, I kept winning, I kept succeeding. Be strong, be motivated, stand tall.”

Pearl Moore

The All-Time leading scorer in women's college basketball, Moore averaged 32.0 points per game across four seasons at Francis Marion College. 

"I'm thankful for the game of basketball. Basketball made it possible for me to travel the country and overseas, to earn a college degree. From shooting on a makeshift hoop in the yard in South Carolina to playing in the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden."

Cotton Fitzsimmons

Jay Wright

"My Dad is the best coach I ever played for. he coached me in football and baseball, never basketball. He once told me basketball is not a tough guy sport. After I told him basketball was my fabourite sport he fell in love with the game and did everything he could to help me succeed."

Bob Dandridge

"To me, being a Hall of Famer isn't about basketball. You know I've had to wait a little while but there's been so much growth inside me that I'm grateful for the wait. I've had a chance to be a better father, a better person, some of the grudges I had against some of the guys I played against, all of them are gone."

Paul Pierce

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be a Hall of Famer. The initial dream as a kid is to make it to the league. Now to be enshrined is baketball lore is more than I could ever imagine."

"We didn't start off on the best foot. I know you wanted to trade me. I was accustomed to doing things my way, I didn't like someone coming and telling me what to do. When I started listening to you, that's when I became great." - Paul Pierce on Doc Rivers. 

Lauren Jackson

Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson enters the Hall of Fame as the first player from the country to do so.

"This is an absolute dream come true. It's one of the greatest honours of my entire life, it's something I'm going to cherish for the rest of my life. It's so special to be enshrined as the first of many Australian basketball players."

Chris Bosh

"While I'm here I got to say it. Chris Webber, we're going into the Hall of Fame with Bill Russell, bro. That's crazy. To me, players like you guys were superheroes and I spent every moment trying to follow in your footsteps."

"Basketball wasn't what I did, it's who I was."

Bosh finishes his speech with some powerful words.

End of ceremony

What a night it has been in Springfield! The 2021 Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony ends with all present inductees on the stage, officially the newest members of the exclusive club.

Thanks for following along with us!

NBA.com Staff

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