The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Thursday announced presenters for its Class of 2024 enshrinement ceremony, which will honor former Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury players.
Several presenters have ties to the Suns.
Julius "Dr. J" Erving will join 2017 inductee Tracy McGrady to bring in one of this year's class headliners, Vince Carter during the enshrinement weekend Oct. 12-13 at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort in Uncasville, Connecticut and the Hall's location in Springfield, Massachusetts. The initial dates Aug. 16-17 were moved due to schedule conflicts, mainly from the Summer Olympics, which ended Aug. 11.
Carter spent part of his career with the Suns and is among several Suns and Mercury players in the 12-person class. Others are the late Walter Davis and Michele Timms. Former Suns and Hall of Famers Grant Hill and Charlie Scott, longtime Miami Heat president Pat Riley, who played for the Suns in the 1970s, and ex-Suns owner and Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo will be among the presenters, too.
Davis will be inducted by Colangelo, Scott, Bob McAdoo, former Kansas and North Carolina coach Roy Williams, David Thompson and Bobby Jones. Davis, who played in college at North Carolina, finished his career as the Suns' all-time leading scorer, six-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, and his jersey No. 6 is retired in the Suns Ring Of Honor when he ended his 15-year pro career in 1992. Drafted in 1977, he played his first 11 seasons in Phoenix.
In addition to Williams, each of the presenters for Davis has a connection to his home state and North Carolina. the four-time All-Star Jones and former NBA MVP McAdoo were both stars like Davis for the UNC Tar Heels during the 1970s. Scott, who played for the Suns in 1972-75, was an All-American at UNC the previous decade. The four-time All-Star Thompson led UNC’s arch rival North Carolina State to the NCAA title in 1974.
Legendary WNBA guards Katie Smith and Teresa Edwards will present for the induction of Timms, the Mercury's all-time leaders for assists and steals averaged per game (4.8, 1.6). The Australian-born Timms also ranks fifth in totals for those categories for the franchise. She was the Mercury's starting point guard in the WNBA's 1997 launch, was a 1999 All-Star, helped lead the Mercury to the first WNBA Finals appearance in 1998, and ended her playing career in 2001. Timms' No. 7 jersey is in the Footprint Center's rafters and she is in the team's Ring of Honor .
Carter briefly played for the Suns during the 2010-11 season. As one of the greatest dunkers and highlight playmakers of all time, Carter was known for his nicknames "Half-Man, Half-Amazing" and "Air Canada" from his initial six years with the Toronto Raptors. He had the NBA's longest 22-year career before he retired in 2020. That tenure is soon to be matched by the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James in the upcoming 2024-25 season.
The additional 2024 inductees include Jerry West, Herb Simon, Harley Redin, Doug Collins, Dick Barnett, Michael Cooper, Charles Smith, Seimone Augustus, Bo Ryan and Chauncey Billups.
Riley played for the Suns during their first run to the NBA Finals in 1976, but he's widely remembered for his time coaching the team's rival Lakers to four titles in the 1980s. He will be among the presenters for the Lakers' late icon Jerry West alongside Cooper, McAdoo, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, James Worthy, Vlade Divac, and former Lakers coach Del Harris.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Julius Erving among 2024 Hall of Fame induction presenters for Phoenix Suns, Mercury legends
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