Fred "Tex" Winter

Enshrined 2011
Wellington, TX
February 25, 1922

Biography

Fred “Tex” Winter was the architect and mastermind of the famed triangle offense that produced nine NBA championships during Winter’s tenures with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. The first championship, with the Phil Jackson-led Chicago Bulls, came in 1991 – six decades after Winter began his collegiate coaching career in 1947 at Kansas State University where he assisted Hall of Fame coach Jack Gardner on two NCAA Final Four teams. Winter eventually succeeded Gardner as head coach at K-State, leading the Wildcats to two more appearances in the Final Four in 15 seasons. He was a student of the game and learned from the best, gleaning his basketball philosophy from Hall of Famers like Gardner, Pete Newell, Phil Woolpert, and Sam Barry at USC. The triangle, or triple-post offense, actually evolved in part from Barry’s center-opposite offense. Constantly tinkering and fine-tuning his own approach, Winter bounced around a lot before he found a permanent home in the NBA where the triangle became the cornerstone of the dominant Bulls and Lakers teams under head coach Phil Jackson.

Career Highlights

	Recipient, John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, 1998
	Led Kansas State University to two NCAA Final Fours, 1958, 1964
	UPI National Coach of the Year, 1958
	NABC President, 1982-83

Tara VanDerveer

Enshrined 2011
Melrose, MA
June 26, 1953

Biography

In the summer of 1996, Tara VanDerveer led the United States women’s basketball team to the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics. What followed that historic moment changed the game forever as the seeds for professional basketball for women began to take root. VanDerveer was on a yearlong sabbatical from her regular post as head coach at Stanford University where she had turned the Cardinal into the most dominant program on the West Coast since John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins. VanDerveer was already the owner of two national titles and seven conference championships when she took the reins of the national team and since that undefeated run to the gold medal she has solidified her reputation as one of the game’s top coaches. She is both teacher and student, respected for her knowledge of the game, her cool and collected sideline demeanor, and her ability to adapt to any situation. From 2001 to 2009, Stanford won nine consecutive Pac-10 championships and added two more Final Four appearances, further proof that VanDerveer’s greatness transcends time and space.

Career Highlights

	National Championships at Stanford, 1990, 1992
	Naismith National Coach of the Year, 1990, 2011
	Olympic Gold Medal, 1996
	Enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, 2002

Reece "Goose" Tatum

Enshrined 2011
El Dorado, AR
May 1921 - January 18, 1967

Biography

Reece “Goose” Tatum once said that “my goal in life is to make people laugh.” Mission accomplished. Goose Tatum was basketball’s original clown prince, bringing his comedic stylings to the Harlem Globetrotters after being discovered by owner Abe Saperstein on – of all places – the baseball diamond. Goose was a tremendous athlete in his day, armed with physical skills that matched his timing and sense of humor. His long arms and spindly body, not to mention his 6’6” height, were perfect for basketball. He joined the Trotters in the fall of 1941 and played more than a decade for the famed barnstorming team. Goose choreographed several of the famous Globetrotter reams including hiding in the crowd, spying on the opposition’s huddle, and feinting only to be revived by the foul smell of his own shoe. Tatum was a serious basketball player as well perfecting a hook shot that he often shot without even looking at the basket. In 1948, Tatum and the Trotters upset the Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers in a one-game showdown for the ages.

Career Highlights

	Original Clown Prince of Basketball
	Played for the Harlem Road Kings, Harlem Stars, and Harlem Clowns
	Honored as a Harlem Globetrotters Legend, 2002
	Enshrinee, Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, 1974

Tom "Satch" Sanders

Enshrined 2011
New York, NY
November 8, 1938

Biography

Thomas “Satch” Sanders was one of the great defensive forwards in basketball. A Helms Foundation First Team All-America at NYU, Satch adapted to his new surroundings with the Boston Celtics by sacrificing his offensive skill set to contribute on the defensive end. Night after night Celtics coach Red Auerbach assigned Sanders the unenviable task of stopping the opponent’s top offensive threat. Satch handled the dirty work guarding the likes of Pettit, DeBusschere, and Baylor. The eight-time world champion finished his playing career in 1973 after 13 professional seasons, all with the Boston Celtics. He stayed in New England taking the reins of the basketball program at Harvard University for four seasons before returning to the Celtics, first as an assistant coach and then briefly as a head coach. Sanders soon traded the sidelines for a desk job founding a number of player programs to give NBA players the tools to be successful in basketball and in life. He introduced initiatives for young players and veterans alike, helping superstar athletes understand and appreciate their status as role models, leaders, and celebrities.

Career Highlights

	Recipient, John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, 2007
	UPI Third Team All-America, 1960
	Founder, NBA Rookie Transition Program
	Founder, NBA Player Programs

Arvydas Sabonis

Enshrined 2011
Kaunas, Lithuania
December 19, 1964

Biography

In the summer of 1986, the Portland Trail Blazers drafted a relatively unknown center named Arvydas Sabonis from Kaunas, Lithuania. Sabonis was tall and strong with soft hands, terrific timing, and great vision. He was the best player outside of the United States at that time, a two-time European Player of the Year and soon-to-be Olympic gold medalist who dominated the European scene for 15 seasons. Sabonis arrived in Portland almost a decade later, bruised and a little beat up, but ready to showcase his talents for the rest of the non-European world to see. One of the greatest playmakers from the center position in basketball, the 7’3” Sabonis laced perfect passes to cutters on the perimeter and found open teammates in the interior. He was an equally effective scorer, shooting a soft hook shot or finishing strong going to the basket. Sabonis was one of the greatest big men in European history, winning a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games with the Soviet Union and leading Lithuania to the bronze in 1992 and 1996.

Career Highlights

	Olympic Gold Medal, 1988
	Olympic Bronze Medal, 1992, 1996
	European Player of the Year, 1984, 1985
	Gold Medal, European Championships, 1985

Dennis Rodman

Enshrined 2011
Trenton, NJ
May 13, 1961

Biography

Loud. Flamboyant. Brash. Brilliant. While Dennis Rodman was both celebrated and hated for his tattoos, colorful hair, and bad boy attitude, there was no denying the greatness of a man that controlled games just by controlling the boards. The six-foot-eight-inch forward led the NBA in rebounds per game for a record-setting seven consecutive seasons from 1991 to 1998. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Defensive First Team honoree, Rodman loved doing the dirty work that is crucial to a team’s success. “The Worm” won his first NBA championship in 1989 with the Detroit Pistons. The following year Rodman was the league’s best defender and he helped the Pistons capture a second consecutive ring. In 1995, after a short stint with the San Antonio Spurs, Rodman landed in Chicago where he teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan to bring the Windy City three titles in three years. A three-time All-America at Southeastern Oklahoma State, Rodman led the NAIA in rebounding his junior and senior seasons.

Career Highlights

	Two-time NBA All Star, 1990, 1992
	Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 1990, 1991
	NBA All-Defensive First Team, 1989-1993, 1995, 1996
	All-NBA Third Team, 1992, 1995

Chris Mullin

Enshrined 2011
Brooklyn, NY
July 30, 1963

Biography

Long before he won gold at the Olympic Games – twice – or made a name for himself in the NBA or put St. John’s back on the college basketball map, Chris Mullin was the poster boy for gym rats everywhere. The Brooklyn native and Catholic school phenom was a fixture on the playgrounds of New York City where he spent countless hours working on his game. The lefty swingman’s textbook jumper underscored his sweet stroke. There was no flaw, no variation, no change in the trajectory of the ball as it sailed through the air before singeing the net for another bucket. Mullin’s smooth style silenced his critics and landed him a scholarship at St. John’s University where Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca tutored the only player in history to be named Big East Player of the Year three times. The 1985 Wooden Award winner led St. John’s to the Final Four that year and was then drafted by the Golden State Warriors where he became one of the storied franchise’s greatest players. Mullin played 16 seasons in the NBA scoring more than 17,000 points and earning All-NBA honors four times.

Career Highlights

	Five-time NBA All Star, 1989-93
	Big East Player of the Year, 1983, 1984, 1985
	Consensus First Team All-America, 1985
	Olympic Gold Medal, 1984, 1992

Herb Magee

Enshrined 2011
Philadelphia, PA
June 21, 1941

Biography

Back when Herb Magee was a five-foot something basketball player at Philadelphia’s famed West Catholic High School, he already had it figured out: “You can’t learn to be taller or faster, but you can learn how to put the ball through the hoop.” That philosophy shaped his entire career and served him well on the road to becoming the all-time winningest men’s coach in NCAA history. Magee’s stellar résumé was built over fifty years at Philadelphia University where he was first a two-time All-America and the school’s all-time leading scorer. The Boston Celtics drafted the sharpshooter in the seventh round of the 1963 NBA Draft, but Magee opted for a career in coaching. The decision suited him perfectly. Over the past six decades, Magee has built his reputation as one of the preeminent teachers in college basketball. In 1970 he led his Rams to the Division II national championship and forty years later he recorded win number 903 to surpass Bob Knight as the NCAA’s career leader in the wins department. Magee is a nationally renowned shooting instructor who has tutored professional players such as Charles Barkley, Malik Rose, and Jameer Nelson.

Career Highlights

	College Division National Championship at Philadelphia Textile, 1970
	National Coach of the Year, 1976
	Recipient, NABC Guardians of the Game Award, 2005
	Enshrined in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, 2008

Artis Gilmore

Enshrined 2011
Chipley, FL
September 21, 1949

Biography

Artis Gilmore was basketball’s greatest gentle giant. Standing seven feet two inches, the A-Train was a force of nature but his low-key disposition offset his impressive physical stature. His professional career lasted 17 seasons starting in the ABA where the quietly dominant center managed one championship, four All-Defensive team honors, and three Most Valuable Player awards – one regular season, one playoff, and one All Star. His long arms and quick feet helped him block shots from clear out on the perimeter, shots that ordinary players never dreamed of reaching. Gilmore played during an era of great centers and thrived, still holding the NBA career record for highest field goal percentage at .599. A unanimous First Team All-America his junior season at Jacksonville University, Gilmore carried the Dolphins to the 1970 NCAA Final Four and national championship game. He led the nation in rebounding two seasons and his career average of 22.7 boards per game is an NCAA record.

Career Highlights

	Six-time NBA All Star, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986
	Five-time ABA All Star, 1972-76
	ABA Rookie of the Year, 1972
	NBA All-Defensive Second Team, 1978

Teresa Edwards

Enshrined 2011
Cairo, GA
July 19, 1964

Biography

A five-time Olympian with four gold medals to her name, Teresa Edwards is one of the most decorated team sport athletes in Olympic history. She began her Olympic journey at the tender age of 20, winning her first gold medal at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. For her encore performance, Edwards soon added gold medals at the 1987 Pan-American Games, 1988 Olympic Games, and 1990 FIBA World Championships. She was a dominant playmaker at the University of Georgia leading the Lady Bulldogs to six SEC championships overall and two NCAA Final Fours. After graduation, Edwards polished her game around the globe with stops in places like Italy, France, Spain, and Japan. But every four years she returned home to represent her country in the Olympics. In 1996, the Georgia native won gold medal number three at the Atlanta Games. Soon after she played professionally for the Atlanta Glory in the upstart American Basketball League averaging better than 20 points and 6 assists per game. In 2000, Edwards won her final medal in international competition – gold of course – as the first American to appear in five Olympic Games.

Career Highlights

	Two-time ABL All Star, 1997, 1998
	Kodak All-America, 1985, 1986
	USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year, 1987, 1990, 1996, 2000
	Enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, 2010