Billups, Carter, Augustus headline ’24 HOF class

GLENDALE, Ariz.– Vince Carter wowed the basketball world with his high-flying dunks for more than 20 years. Chauncey Billups was a clutch guard and Finals MVP for the Detroit Pistons.Two icons from the

2000s age of basketball are headed to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.Tears welled in Carter’s eyes multiple times Saturday as he discussed what the honor implies to him.Editor’s Picks “I think that’s where the emotion comes from,”Carter said.” I have such an excellent appreciation for what

this is and who is in the Hall of Popularity. I get an opportunity to be a part of that. Say what you want, think what you may, however there were some days I never believed I was on this level. “Then he smiled.”But they permitted me in, so I’m going to take it.”The 13-member class

announced Saturday consists of former Lakers, Grizzlies and Warriors executive Jerry West, who was already inducted as a player and as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic group. Likewise in the class: players Seimone Augustus, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Dick Barnett and Michele Timms; coaches Charles Smith, Harley Redin and Bo Ryan; broadcaster/coach Doug Collins; and owner Herb Simon.The 2024 class will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, in August.”It’s mind-blowing for me,”Carter stated.”I took pleasure in playing the

game of basketball every day. I’m just satisfied.”Carter, 47, was an eight-time All-Star and the NBA Novice of the

Year in 1999 with the Toronto Raptors. He had the longest career in NBA history, playing 22 seasons for the Raptors, Nets, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Hawks, Magic, Kings and Suns, and completed with 25,728 profession points, great for 21st in league history.He played in college at North Carolina under coach Dean Smith.The 6-foot-6 guard’s longevity in the game was famous, and he was a helpful player deep into his 40s, hanging with players less than half his age. He averaged 5 points over 60 games at age 43 with the Hawks in his final season.Billups, 47, was a five-time All-Star and won an NBA champion with the Pistons in 2004. He was the MVP of the Finals that season and is now the coach of the Portland Path Blazers.He was the third overall pick in the 1997

draft by the Boston Celtics, however his pro profession was a little sluggish to establish. He eventually discovered a home in Detroit, making his very first Dream team in his ninth season.Part of a balanced Pistons

team that included Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace, Billups averaged 21.0 points and 5.2 helps per game in the 2004 Finals, when they beat the Lakers in 5 games for the title.Ben Wallace was inducted into the Hall in 2021. Now Billups joins him.”We all came, watched [Ben’s] induction, and all of us felt like we were currently in since he remained in, “Billups stated.” That’s how we played. That’s who we were.

I’m simply the next one up.”This time around, 85-year-old West was inducted as a factor. The 14-time All-Star was inducted as a player in 1980. He spent more than twenty years as an executive for the Lakers– assisting the franchise win eight champions from 1980 to 2002– and was the general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies and an executive with the Golden State Warriors.Augustus, 39, was a four-time WNBA champion with the Minnesota Lynx. The 6-0 guard played in college at LSU, assisting the program to 3 Final Fours. She is 13th in WNBA history with 6,005 profession points.Cooper, 67, was a five-time NBA champion for the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s. Colleagues with stars such as Magic Johnson and James Worthy, Cooper did his best deal with the protective end of the court, making 8 All-Defensive teams.Davis, who died in 2023, is the leading profession scorer in Phoenix Suns history with 15,666 points. He was the 1978 Novice of the Year and made six Dream team.