NYSportsJournalism.com - Olympic Hall Too
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are all members of the Basketball Hall of Fame, but will they and their "Dream Team" teammates be enshrined in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame? The 1992 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team, better known as the "Dream Team" under the guidance of head coach Chuck Daly (who passed away on May 9), is among a roster of nominees unveiled on April 16 by the U.S. Olympic Committee and presenting sponsor Allstate for the Hall of Fame Class of 2009. The official voting, which concludes June 16, has drawn nearly 73,000 votes from the public at large, according to the USOC. Jordan and Dream Team teammate David Robinson are part of the Class of 2009 being inducted this September into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.,
The '09 class of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate will include five individuals, one team and one Paralympian, as well as three additional individuals: a coach, veteran and special contributor. The inductees will be revealed in early July and will be honored at a black-tie induction ceremony on Aug.12 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The induction ceremony will feature a special fundraising banquet to benefit Chicago 2016, Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. "Chicago is a city that truly embraces the Olympic Movement, and to have a Chicago company like Allstate involved in celebrating historic Olympic and Paralympic achievements showcases the broad support our city has for the movement," Patrick Ryan, Chicago 2016 chairman and CEO, said in a statement.
"I've had some tremendous memories during my professional basketball career, but the memory of standing [on the podium] as a representative of the United States is one of the proudest moments of my life," Jordan says in a PSA for the Chicago 2016 bid.
The charter class of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, enshrined in 1983, included Cassius Clay, Peggy Fleming, Jesse Owens, Wilma Rudolph, Mark Spitz, and the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey Team. In 2004, after a 12-year hiatus, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was revived through the support of Allstate Insurance as the presenting sponsor.
Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, John Stockton. Head coach Chuck Daly.
DREAM TEAM AMONG NOMINEES FOR US OLYMPIC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2009
