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Twelve honorees were enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball HOF in Springfield, Mass., on Friday night as part of the Class of '19 -- Vlade Divac, Sidney Moncrief, Jack Sikma, Bill Fitch, Bobby Jones, Paul Westphal, Teresa Weatherspoon, Al Attles, Chuck Cooper, Carl Braun, the Tennessee A&I teams of '57-59 and the Wayland Baptist College teams of '48-82 (Mult., 9/6). The threat of rain "didn't dampen any of the enthusiasm" for the ceremony (MASSLIVE.com, 9/7). The '19 class "may have lacked the big-name recognition of those past classes, but the night at Symphony Hall was indeed special." It was a "touching night" in Springfield, where the youngest inductee was 51-year-old Divac. It was "not a night for youngsters, as there were no recently retired players in this class." But this was a night for those who "spent their career and basketball lives underappreciated" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/8).
Sikma used his induction speech to "make a plea for the NBA to return to Seattle." Sikma said, "There's a hole in Seattle that needs to be filled" (AP, 9/7). The crowd in attendance "erupted in agreement" upon hearing Sikma's plea (ESPN.com, 9/6).
