Kansas City, Missouri (AP) — Paul Pierce and Antawn Jamison, when they arrived in St. Louis in April 1995, are permanent for the McDonald’s All-American game, the traditional showcase of the country’s best high school basketball players. I made a good friendship.
It continued throughout their college days when Pierce starred in Kansas and Jamison for fellow Blue Blood North Carolina. And it endured throughout his long NBA career, with Pierce spending most of his time with Boston and Jamison, flying around the league.
When Pierce and Jamison led a class of seven, including Hersey Hawkins and the late Len Bias, who was inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame, they rekindled it this weekend as well.
“We played for the NBA for 16 years,” Jamison said. “We always respected each other throughout all the battles we fought. We made friendships, met him in All-Star games, just came to Los Angeles, and were in the same facility and restaurant. Always respected each other.
“It made it more special for me to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with him,” Jamison said.
Earrings and Jamison weren’t the only stars to emerge from the famous McDonald’s All-American game. Kevin Garnett skipped college because of the NBA’s splendor, but Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, Chauncey Billups, Ron Mercer, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim stood out for an extraordinary college career. I changed to a professional career.
“It’s really unrealistic to know that I was able to leave my footsteps in a basketball game at almost every level,” Pierce said. “As a kid, I don’t know how much you think about it. You work as hard as you can, and at the end of the day you see where you end up. But at the NBA and college levels. It’s a testament to the effort you’ve put into being honored. “
Hawkins took a distinctly different path while Pierce and Jamison were chasing national titles for traditional college power. The self-proclaimed “Mom Boy” headed south for a few hours to Peoria, where he was given the opportunity to be a shooting guard at Bradley after playing at the Westinghouse High School Center in Chicago.
Hawkins started all 125 games he played for the Braves, scoring 3,008 points and leading the nation with 36.3 points per game from 1987 to 1988. He was also a member of the 1988 Olympic team, which won the bronze medal before a prominent NBA career spanning 13 seasons.
“This is the pinnacle of everything and is inducted into the Hall of Fame,” says Hawkins. “Especially I’m honored to see a group of people inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s great to celebrate with them.”
Bias is remembered in the tragic situation surrounding his death, as much as his four-year starring career in Maryland in the mid-1980s. He was ranked second overall by the Celtics in the 1986 draft, then returned to attend an off-campus party and died of a cardiac arrhythmia caused by an overdose of cocaine.
“When we talk about heritage, I think about how he died,” said his mother, Ronis Bias. Recognize who is in your area of influence and be aware of the decisions you make. I’m trying to impress them with the importance of knowing that they need to take good care of themselves. And self-preservation is the first law of nature. “
In addition, long-time Belmont coach Rick Byrd, who won more than 800 games before retiring in 2019, has also been appointed. Tom Pendels led Fordham to the NIT and Texas, Houston, Rhode Island and George Washington to the NCAA tournament. And David Greenwood, a Pac-10 player twice this year at UCLA.
This class was honored at the Gala Weekend, including the Hall of Fame Classic, held at the T-Mobile Center on Monday night. There, No. 14 Illinois plays Cincinnati, No. 13 Arkansas played against Kansas State in the semi-finals.
“Whenever we can call ourselves inducted into the Hall of Fame, it speaks volume to all those who had that part,” Jamison said. “From teachers to parents, but most important to me is Coach (Bill) Guthridge, Coach (Dean) my teammate at the University of North Carolina, Smith. It’s an honor to be here with these enrollees.
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Pierce, Jamison led a class of seven members to a college hoop hall | WGN Radio 720
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