Worthy, Parish, five others set for induction

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Worthy, Parish, five others set for induction
By Howard Ulman, Associated Press, 9/5/2003 23:10

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) Entering the Hall of Fame together didn't end the
rivalry between Robert Parish and James Worthy, stars of the 1980s showdowns
between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

''Robert,'' Worthy said Friday night, ''I think I still owe you a couple of
elbows.''

Parish, known for his stoic on-court demeanor, actually smiled at the remark.
And he poked fun at himself in his acceptance speech.

''You might not believe this, but I hated basketball'' as a 6-foot-6
seventh-grader in Shreveport, La. ''I couldn't catch it. I couldn't hold it. I
couldn't pass it. I couldn't shoot it.''

He credited his junior high school coach, Coleman Kidd, with seeing
''something in me that I didn't see in myself.''

By the time he joined the Boston Celtics in 1980, there was no doubt about his
talent. Worthy's skills were equally evident at North Carolina and as the top
pick in the 1982 draft by the Lakers.

Parish and Worthy joined five other new members for the induction ceremony
Meadowlark Lemon of the Harlem Globetrotters, NBA pioneer Earl Lloyd, longtime
Louisiana Tech women's coach Leon Barmore, Italian player Dino Meneghin and
the late Chick Hearn, who broadcast 3,338 straight Lakers' games.

Like Parish, Worthy was a reluctant basketball player.

''I just hated the sport'' as a youngster, he said. But he played so he could
get a scholarship and help his parents, who were supporting his two older
brothers in college.

''That was the only reason I wanted to play basketball,'' Worthy said.

As their careers progressed, there were other reasons to play. One was the
desire for a championship. Parish won three with the Celtics, Worthy won three
with the Lakers, but both played third fiddle on their teams.

Parish was just one part of ''The Big Three'' of the Boston Celtics with Larry
Bird and Kevin McHale. Worthy had a supporting role in ''Showtime'' with the
Los Angeles Lakers with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.

The others drew more headlines and honors, but Parish and Worthy played huge
roles in their teams' success and all six are among the NBA's top 50 players
of all time.

''I'm very honored to be going in with James,'' Parish said before the
induction ceremony. ''I always felt like James was the X factor on that Lakers
team. As good as Magic and Kareem were, I always felt that James made the
difference.''

Parish played with little expression his punch that struck Detroit's Bill
Laimbeer after a tussle under the basket in the 1987 playoffs was a rare
display of emotion and didn't have the all-around flair of Bird or the inside
moves of McHale.

But Worthy admired him.

''There's always one opponent on the opposing team that you like, and Robert
was the guy that I really liked among the Celtics,'' Worthy said.

Hearn watched all their matchups.

''He would have loved to have been here but probably he's up there watching
us,'' said Marge Hearn, his widow.

Hearn didn't miss a game from Nov. 21, 1965, through Dec. 16, 2001 and died on
Aug. 5, 2002 at age 85 after a fall at his home. He left an indelible mark on
the game, giving Worthy the nickname ''Big Game James'' and coining the term
''slam dunk.''

It became part of the NBA's vocabulary and was a part of Parish's and Worthy's
games.

''For me to be going in with James, I'm very proud,'' Parish said.

At age 50, Parish remains slim, carrying himself with a straight back and
deliberate strides. He played until a few months before his 44th birthday,
finishing his 21-year career in 1996-97 as a part-time player with Chicago.

''I did a lot of stretching and meditation,'' Parish said. ''It kept me in the
game.''

The start of his NBA career didn't indicate it would be a long one. He spent
four seasons with Golden State and said he was ready to quit before going to
Boston. The teams also exchanged first-round draft picks and the Celtics used
theirs to take McHale.

''I was very unhappy with the Warriors,'' Parish said. ''If I had not been
traded I would not be here today.''

He was part of Boston's last three championship teams, in 1981, 1984 and 1986
and finished with a 14.6-point average. He holds NBA records with 21 seasons
and 1,611 games and 10,117 defensive rebounds.

The 44-year-old Worthy entered the NBA in 1982 out of North Carolina and
played on three championship teams with the Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He
retired after the 1993-94 season, his 12th with the Lakers, with a 17.6-point
average.

They faced each other in three NBA Finals with Boston winning in 1984 and Los
Angeles winning in 1985 and 1987.

''It's appropriate,'' Worthy said of their inductions together. ''It was a
tremendous era and we had some great battles.''

Lloyd, 74, was elected in the veterans category. He was the first black player
in the NBA, debuting with the Washington Capitals in 1950.

''People black and white have to thank him for what he did,'' Lemon said.

Barmore was 576-87 in 20 seasons as women's coach at Louisiana Tech, an .869
winning percentage, the best in women's college basketball history.

Meneghin was a top international player, competing in four Olympics for Italy
and leading his club to a record seven Cup of Champions titles.

On Friday, he gave an elegant spin to what it means to be in the Hall of Fame.

''It's like a painter seeing his painting in the Louvre,'' he said.

Lemon, known as the ''clown prince of basketball'' for his antics with the
Globetrotters, had a much different reaction.

''It feels like someone takes a bucket of warm honey and just starts pouring
from here and it drops all the way down,'' he said, raising his hands over his
head. ''When that happens, you can truly say, `How sweet it is.' ''

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx