SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Bernard King took his proper place among basketball’s royalty Sunday afternoon.
“The Hall of Fame,” King said to begin his induction speech. “To say I’m delighted to be here would be an understatement.”
King, one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen, was one of 12 people — including Knicks legend Richie Guerin — enshrined in the Hall. King spent a good portion of his speech speaking about how honored he had been, after being traded to New York in 1982, to follow in the footsteps of the great Knicks teams of the early 1970s he watched as a kid in Brooklyn.
“I was home,” King said. “What an unbelievable thrill. And to put on the same jersey as the Knick legends I watched when I was a kid was indescribable.
“Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe, a player I watched growing up and was mesmerized by his uncanny moves. Willis Reed, the Captain, exemplified courage, heart, determination, leadership, all qualities that I admired. Walt Frazier: all-around excellence and always delivering in the biggest of moments. Bill Bradley: precision shooting, intangibles and always embodying the team game. Last, but not least, Dave DeBusschere, a great rebounder.
“I treasured playing for the Knicks and the great fans in New York.”
King also spoke highly of his time with the Nets, with whom he spent the first two seasons and final 32 games of his career. He also took the opportunity to thank Mike Woodson and Carmelo Anthony — who has said King was his idol growing up — for helping keep his legacy alive at the Garden.
“Mike Woodson, the excellent coach of the Knicks, thank you for your support of my Hall of Fame candidacy,” King said. “Carmelo Anthony, one of the best the game has ever seen. Thank for your efforts to recognize my career, Melo.”
Allan Houston, who was in attendance, has ties to King from their shared history with the Knicks and his alma mater Tennessee, where King starred alongside Ernie Grunfeld in the 1970s.
“Just the tone of his voice, just the look on his face, you could tell just how much it meant to him,” Houston said.
“When I came to Tennessee, to play for my father [Wade] was one of the only reasons, but when I saw just how big his and Ernie Grunfeld’s legacies were, it made me feel much better about wearing that uniform, let alone a Knick uniform [later on].”
King chose Dominique Wilkins to be his presenter because Wilkins represented the talent-laden era of small forwards in the NBA in the 1980s.
“You’re probably wondering why this man is here,” King said. “I loved playing against you, Dominique. I didn’t like to guard you, though. This Hall of Famer personified the golden era of small forwards in which I played. Every night it was a battle. Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving, Larry Bird, Alex English, James Worthy, Marques Johnson, Adrian Dantley, Mark Aguirre and Kiki Vandeweghe. I loved competing against you, as I shared, but heck, you were so creative, I never knew what you were going to do. Thank you for being here.”
King spoke about his days growing up in Brooklyn, where he was a standout at Fort Hamilton High School, thanking several coaches and people who helped him along the way, as well as several friends and members of his family.
“I fell in love with basketball the first time I made a basket,” King said. “I learned the city game, and I would play every day. There were times during the winter when I would clear an area of the court with my sneakers to remove the snow so I could shoot. I broke my right arm as a kid, but that was OK. I wouldn’t be deterred from the game, neither with a broken arm or by snow.”
***Nets coach Jason Kidd was in attendance, supporting fellow point guard and Oakland native Gary Payton, among others. Former Knicks Greg Anthony and Larry Johnson were on hand to honor their college coach at UNLV, Jerry Tarkanian, who also was inducted.
Sunday’s ceremonies had a distinct New York flavor with city natives King, Guerin, Rick Pitino and the late Roger Brown being inducted.