Yao Ming’s path to the Hall of Fame became a little easier when it was revealed Monday that the former Rockets center was nominated through the International committee, a category that requires only one round of balloting and will not put him in direct competition with most candidates from the NBA and ABA.
Yao’s eight NBA seasons at 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and six All-Star appearances, plus a ninth campaign lost to injury, will be weighed with five years in the Chinese Basketball Association and three Olympics with China. He also could have been nominated years ago as a Contributor, but turned that opportunity down in favor of being judged as a player — not for a unique role in the history of the sport as a driving force in the NBA’s rise to popularity and riches in the most-populous nation in the world. Choosing the International path in the end rather than the tougher North American committee, with two rounds of voting and big names from the pros and U.S. colleges on the same ballot, is a compromise that allows Yao to still be graded for his work on the court while also retaining more of a connection to China than if he went through the North American group.
It will especially help Yao this election when Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson are on the ballot for the first time as expected, with O’Neal an automatic for the Class of 2016 and Iverson a strong contender. That is in addition to Tim Hardaway, Kevin Johnson and Chris Webber as carryover candidates from previous years, plus Michigan State coach Tom Izzo a virtual lock in his initial try.
The North American committee ordinarily contains 40 to 50 nominees before the list is narrowed with a first cut announced at All-Star weekend and then a second vote to determine the enshrinees revealed the day of the NCAA title game. By comparison, the International category has 15 to 20 and one round of scrutiny. Vlade Divac, Nick Galis, Toni Kukoc and Dino Radja are among the contenders with Yao, the only person on the ballot for the first time in International.
The newcomers with NBA ties in the North American field are former players Junior Bridgeman, Iverson, Bobby Jones and O’Neal, plus former referees Hugh Evans and Darell Garretson months after another official, Dick Bavetta, was inducted. Several prominent current and former college coaches are also on the list, including Lefty Driesell, Izzo, Gene Keady, Rollie Massimino, Bo Ryan and Eddie Sutton, with an asterisk for Mark Price, on the ballot for his playing career but now the coach at North Carolina Charlotte.
Pearl Moore, Sheryl Swoopes and a team entry from Wayland Baptist are the first-time nominees from the Women’s committee, which has been expanded.
The decision to eliminate the ABA committee resulted in the candidates, all carryovers from previous years, being routed through the Veterans group. While losing their own category was a big setback to the hopes of candidates from the days of the red, white and blue ball, and while Veterans is a crowded field with prominent NBA names, at least the ABA representatives won’t have to go head to head for votes with the stars in the North American and will face one ballot instead of the two rounds of the North American and Women’s. It is as soft a landing as possible for Zelmo Beatty, Ron Boone, Mack Calvin, Freddie Lewis, George McGinnis and others.
The Hall of Fame announced a week ago it was dropping the ABA as its own direct-elect group, at the same time the Springfield, Mass., basketball museum said players would be eligible for nomination after four seasons of retirement instead of the previous timeline of five seasons. Those moves came with the decision to unveil the entire induction class at the same time, at the Final Four, a change from the format of disclosing the enshrinees from the direct-elect categories along with finalists from North American and Women’s at All-Star weekend and then completing the field by revealing the winners from North American and Women’s hours before the NCAA national championship game. Now, only the finalists from North American and Women’s will be disclosed in Toronto on Feb. 12 and the Class of 2016 will be named in its entirety April 4 in Houston.
The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 9 in Springfield.
Scott Howard-Cooper has covered the NBA since 1988.
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