JOURNEY OF THE LATE BLOOMER
Would you be shocked if I told you that a No. 3 NBA Draft pick was traded twice during his first year in the league, bounced around to six teams in six years, and ended up in the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame? Of course, you would. You would probably be wondering what this player did in the second half of his career to go from a "bust" to being inducted with the greatest names in basketball history.
What Chauncey Billups, a.k.a. Mr. Big Shot, did over his next seven seasons was make 5 All-Star teams, 3 All-NBA teams, 2 All-Defensive teams, win an NBA Championship, and
Finals MVP. He was also a leader and mentor, leading to his job as an assistant NBA coach, then as an NBA head coach less than a year later, and now a trip to Springfield, Massachusetts.
Chauncey Billups | Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech
He said during his speech, "My coaching journey started a little bit like my playing journey. It's been a little rough. But, I feel the same way as a coach as I did as a player. I will win. Maybe not immediately, but definitely."
If you look at the current roster for the Portland Trailblazers, you will probably agree that he's not winning anytime soon, but it's hard to doubt someone who has persevered the way he has, and it's hard not to root for someone who can joke about the obstacles and challenging times.
"I was traded to Orlando and I know none of you all remember me in Orlando."
His hometown Denver Nuggets traded him to Orlando after a 13-game season ended with a shoulder injury. You don't remember him playing with the Magic because he never played a game with the franchise. Thankfully for him, they let him walk, and his journey took him to Minnesota. In Minnesota, he found mentors in the underrated Terrell Brandon (Sports Illustrated once featured him on the cover with the caption: Best Point Guard In The NBA) and the late Flip Saunders.
"I really wish Flip Saunders was alive to see me on this stage. I miss him so much. Flip really believed in me. He believed I could prove that I was the kid that was drafted number three overall. He actually gave me the opportunity, which is what I needed."
That instilled confidence carried with him to Detroit, and the rest is history. That mid-2000s Pistons team changed the NBA (for better or worse), ended the Shaq/Kobe era in Los Angeles, and prevented Karl Malone from becoming an NBA champion.
Other highlights from Billups' speech included him thanking his three daughters, mentioning how the Raptors missed out on a Billups/Vince Carter/T-Mac trio, and the four things his best friend, Tyronn Lue, said about coaching: "It's stressful. You might gain some weight. You will have bags under your eyes from being on the computer all night. You are going to love it."
Billups said he has grey hair on his face from the stress, put on a few pounds, has bags under his eyes, and loves it.
"I love it. I love it and I love you bro and when will be seating in them seats when you go to the Hall of Fame as a coach."
Chauncey Billups Mixtape (redapples)
JOURNEY OF THE INSTANT STAR
Would you be shocked if I told you another player made the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame after averaging less than 12 points over the final 13 seasons of his NBA career while not making a single All-Star team and placing sixth in
Sixth Man Of The Year
voting one year? You may wonder what this player did in the first half of his career to find himself on stage in Springfield among the greatest of the greats.
What Vince Carter, a.k.a. Half-Man Half-Amazing, did during the first six years of his career is hard to explain to anyone who didn't witness it. If you were there for Vinsanity, you would know why Phil Jackson considered trading Kobe Bryant for him. If you were there for Vinsanity, you would know why Carter was the leading NBA All-Star vote-getter for four years, including the ones with Michael Jordan (Carter even gave his starting spot to Jordan in 2003 since it was MJ's final All-Star game). If you were there for Vinsanity, you would know why every rapper was wearing his top-selling Raptors jersey and why so many current greats, like Kevin Durant, called Vince their favorite player growing up. If you were there for Vinsanity, you would remember his face and incredible photos of him dunking on the cover of every sports magazine. If you were there for Vinsanity, you would know there's no argument over who the greatest dunker ever is.
Vince Carter Was "Half-Man, Half-Amazing"!!! 👀🔥 | Ultimate Career Highlights
You can argue that he didn't have the greatest Dunk Contest performance ever, but considering the NBA brought the event back just because of him, and he didn't disappoint, I'll give it to him. You can argue that he doesn't have the greatest individual dunk ever, but considering he did it on the international stage during the 2001 Olympics, and it's called "The Dunk of Death," I'm giving it to him.
You might be thinking, "What does all this dunking talk have to do with making the Hall of Fame?" Even though threes and crossovers seem more popular than dunks nowadays, I still think the dunk is the signature shot and image of basketball, and on most NBA nights, the most memorable moment that will get people to jump out of a chair or go viral on social will come in the form of a dunk. So, if a player is known to be the greatest ever at doing this, I'll put more weight on that than most individual stats and accolades, including some rings.
Vince Carter had plenty of chances to ring chase, and teams like the Golden State Warriors were more than happy to give him a seat near the end of the bench. Vince declined those seats because he wanted to be on the floor. Some people watched him average less than 10 points a game during his final five seasons and assumed one of the most talented scorers ever must have been miserable. But he was on the court and playing 18+ minutes a game. He said he wanted to play and played an NBA record 22 seasons that spanned FOUR DECADES! Mind-boggling trivia like that, combined with mind-boggling skills, is why Vince Carter is a Hall of Famer.
Vince Carter | Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech
Vince thanked so many people during his 25-minute speech that he almost thanked as many people as Allen Iverson did during his famous 2016 speech. Vince even thanked AI, who he competed against during one of the most fun Playoff series ever.
He tried to thank all 261 of his former NBA teammates.
He thanked all his coaches, including the late great Dean Smith.
He thanked every member of his huge family, including his cousin, Tracy McGrady, who was there to present him and crack jokes behind Vince's back during the speech. When Vince said he used to play football, T-Mac made a comment that had Dr. J giggling on stage and Vince saying, "Bro, what is going on?"
An emotional moment for me was when he talked about being a proud Dad to his three kids. Vince and I are the same age (even grew up an hour away) and his oldest daughter is around the same age as my oldest, so I felt it when he called her, "My firstborn, my headache, my pocket thief, but a great child with a caring soul."
Things got emotional for everyone when he mentioned Kobe Bryant. He said he had a hard time saying the word "retirement" until he talked to Kobe about it, and Kobe enthusiastically explained how great it was because of the time he got to share with his family and coach his daughter. He was supposed to meet with Kobe a few weeks later, but Kobe passed away before that conversation could happen. His death also occurred on Vince's birthday, which makes the day challenging to celebrate.
As I mentioned, the Lakers once reportedly offered Kobe for Vince Carter, but the Raptors declined. That might sound wild to a lot of young fans who watched Kobe become the Black Mamba and their generation's Michael Jordan. However, Carter was labeled the annoying title of "Next Jordan" before Kobe was, and Phil Jackson even recently said Carter was the one player who "could have been MJ or Kobe." I'm also positive that 99% of Raptors fans during this time would have been upset if the organization had agreed to that trade, which ranks as one of the greatest What If trades ever. Another What If trade from this era is the Raptors reportedly turned down an offer of Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash for Vince and Antonio Davis. Yes, two future MVP winners were offered, and Raptors fans probably would have rioted in the streets of Toronto if the organization agreed to it.
"I had some memorable moments with that organization, which created Vinsanity. Which is why, without a doubt, I'm going to the Hall of Fame as a Raptor."
Vince also closed the ceremony with the perfect quote for everyone that loves or hates every person with one of those orange jackets.
"From now on, they don't just say your first and last name without saying Hall of Famer."
Every Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech from the #24HoopClass
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