Jordan leads list of newest HOF inductees

April 7, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

He’ll be joined by Jerry Sloan, David Robinson, John Stockton and C. Vivian Stringer.

DETROIT (AP) — Air Jordan has a new name: Hall of Famer.

Michael Jordan was elected to the class of 2009 on Monday, set for induction in September with his Dream Team teammates David Robinson and John Stockton. Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women’s coach C. Vivian Stringer are also part of the class.

Induction is Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“I don’t like being up here for the Hall of Fame because at that time your basketball career is completely over,” Jordan said. “I was hoping this day would be 20 more years, or actually go in when I’m dead and gone.”

Jordan’s Hall of Fame selection was a slam dunk after he retired as perhaps the greatest player in history. And he gave much of the credit Monday to his college coach.

“There’s no way you guys would have got a chance to see Michael Jordan play without Dean Smith,” he said.

His soaring dunks, Nike commercials and “Air Jordan” nickname helped stamp him as one the most recognizable athletes around the world. He finished a 15-year career with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards with 32,292 points — the third-highest total in league history, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. His final career average of 30.12 goes down as the best, just ahead of Wilt Chamberlain’s 30.07.

Utah took Stockton in the first round of the 1984 draft, using the No. 16 pick on a relatively unknown player from Gonzaga who became one of the top point guards.

“I haven’t given this much thought over the course of a lifetime,” he said. “I’m not sure it quite strikes home until you’re standing here.”

Robinson, who earned the nickname “The Admiral” from his college career at Navy, joined Stockton and Jordan as members of the NBA’s 50th anniversary team.

He had a stellar 14-year career with the San Antonio Spurs that included two NBA championships, an MVP season, a rookie of the year award, 10 All-Star selections, a scoring title and two Olympic gold medals. Unlike Jordan’s inability to stay home after his final shot in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals, Robinson was content to retire after winning a second title with the Spurs in 2003.

“If I had to pick one night in my career, it would probably be walking off the court as a champion and knowing that was going to be my last memory of basketball,” Robinson said.

Sloan, who did not attend the ceremony, is the longest tenured head coach in major league sports with a single franchise. Sloan is the only NBA coach to win more than 1,000 games with a single team.

Stringer has led three schools to the Final Four in her 38-year career and has an 825-280 mark spanning four decades. She trails only Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt on the career wins list, and guided Rutgers to its fifth straight regional semifinals trip this season.