Heroes of the Hardwood
50 Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was dedicated on June 30, 1985 in Springfield, Massachusetts, the home of Dr. James Naismith. More than 10,000 fans came to the opening, including these 50 of the greatest basketball players, coaches and contributors in the game’s history who signed this incredible sketch of the new building. Some of the 50 were already inductees while some would be honored in years to come, making this single image an incredibly unique piece of basketball history.
Ray Meyer (coach)
William “Pop” Gates (player)
Buddy Jeannette (player)
Walt Frazier (player)
Gail Goodrich (player)
Harry Gallatin (player)
Paul Arizin (player)
Cesare Rubini (coach)
Jack Gardner (coach)
Clarence “Big House” Gaines (coach)
Pete Newell (coach)
Bob Wanzer (player)
Les Harrison (contributor)
Tom Gola (player)
Ben L. Carnevale (coach)
Fred Lewis (not in Hall of Fame)
Stan Watts (coach)
Andy Phillip (player)
Bailey Howell (player)
Dick McGuire (player)
Lusia Harris Stewart (player)
Dave DeBusschere (player)
Alexander Gomelsky (coach)
Denny Crum (coach)
John Nucatola (referee)
John Wooden (coach)
Willis Reed (player)
J. Dallas Shirley (referee)
John Kundla (coach)
Earl “The Pearl” Monroe (player)
Dan Issel (player)
Marv Harshman (coach)
Dolph Schayes (player)
Jack Twyman (player)
Anne Donovan (player)
Nancy Lieberman (player)
Walt Bellamy (player)
Bob Kurland (player)
Uljana Semjonova (player)
Rick Barry (player)
John B. McClendon, Jr. (coach)
Vern Mikkelsen (player)
Connie Hawkins (player)
Jack Ramsay (coach)
George Yardley (player)
Bill Walton (player)
Lou Carnesecca (coach)
Arad McCutchan (coach)
David Thompson (player)
Red Holzman (coach)
Clarence “Big House” Gaines (coach)
Cliff Hagan (player)
