Former Sixer Doug Collins, Chester’s Bo Ryan among 13 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
Collins played eight seasons with the Sixers and later returned to coach his former team, while Ryan coached 32 seasons at the collegiate level.
MEMPHIS — Doug Collins is a Hall of Famer.
The former 76ers player and coach was announced Saturday as a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as a contributor. And Collins isn’t the only person with local ties in the 2024 class. Bo Ryan, the longtime college coach from Chester, is also among the 13 inductees.
Collins, 72, played eight seasons with the Sixers and was a four-time All-Star. He later transitioned into coaching, compiling a 442-407 record across the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, and Sixers. Collins also served as an NBA analyst on broadcasts for CBS, NBC, TNT, TBS and ABC/ESPN, along with covering the 2008 and 2012 Olympics for NBC.
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The Sixers selected Collins with the first pick in the 1973 NBA draft. The shooting guard from Illinois State, who was a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, averaged 17.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 415 games. On May 21, 2010, he was hired to coach his former team. He compiled a 110-120 record in three seasons as the Sixers’ coach.
Herb Simon and Jerry West will also be inducted as contributors in the 2024 class. West was previously enshrined as a player and member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team. He is the first member of the Hall of Fame to be inducted as a player and contributor.
On the coaching front, Ryan compiled a 747-233 record in 32 seasons, with stops at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the University of Wisconsin.
Vince Carter is the headliner of the Hall of Fame class.
The former North Carolina standout played 22 NBA seasons, becoming an eight-time All-Star. Carter was the 1999 NBA rookie of the year and only player in league history to play in four decades. He averaged 16.7 points in 1,541 career NBA games and led the U.S. to a gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Carter also holds the single-season scoring records for the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors.
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Chauncey Billups (player), Michael Cooper (player), Walter Davis (player), Charles Smith (coach), Seimone Augustus (player), Dick Barnett (player), Harley Redin (coach) and Michele Timms (player) are the other inductees.
The Class of 2024 will be enshrined during Hall of Fame festivities in Springfield, Mass., on Aug. 16-17.