After a somewhat lengthier wait than anticipated, five-time All-Star point guard Tim Hardaway Sr. was able to become the first player to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
After several years of rejection, Hardaway—one of the greatest players of his generation and a legendary crossover dribbler—was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022. To be exact, Hardaway had to be rejected five times in order to be inducted.
The Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors legend talked about his lengthy battle to get into the Hall of Fame and how much it meant to him to finally get in after being eligible for almost 15 years during a one-on-one interview during NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis.
After being turned down several times, Hardaway, who finished the 1990s fifth in three-point field goals made and fourth in assists, talked about what the process was like.
Hardaway remarked, “You’re coming up on your last time after being rejected four, five, or six times.” “And when the call came in, I didn’t want to answer it because it said Hall of Fame on your phone. since I was unwilling to accept another rejection. It’s always the same guy making the calls. Telling this story makes me very emotional since it’s a difficult one. He used to call and apologize, saying, “Hey Tim.” You received insufficient votes. He had attempted to comfort me and spoke with me for five to seven minutes at a time.
Leave a Reply