Michael Jordan was to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a final honor for someone who's already won everything else. David Robinson, John Stockton, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers University women's coach C. Vivian Stringer were also to be inducted. But the attention was largely on Jordan, the six-time NBA champion, five-time league MVP and 10-time scoring champion. Others have won more or scored more, but Jordan might top them all. “I think you have to be realistic,” Charles Barkley said. “Michael Jordan to me is the best basketball player ever.” His entrance into the Hall is bringing unprecedented attention, forcing the enshrinement ceremonies to be moved to Springfield's Symphony Hall, with a capacity of about 2,600 that is more than double what the Hall of Fame can hold. “Every class is special, there's no question about that, but this one seems to rise a bit above the normal class and obviously it's because of who's in the class,” said John Doleva, the Hall's president and CEO. “Not only Michael Jordan, but others that are joining him in this class. But he does bring a lot of notoriety and a lot of interest and obviously has a very broad fan base around the world, so I would say this is the biggest enshrinement we've had.” Doleva said nearly 60 Hall of Famers - more than for any induction - are returning for the festivities. He estimated there were nearly double the usual number of requests for media credentials. Besides Jordan, those on hand will see Robinson, who helped San Antonio win two NBA titles and the United States win two Olympic gold medals; Stockton, the NBA's career leader in assists and steals who also won Olympic gold in 1992 and 1996; Sloan, Stockton's longtime coach who has won more than 1,000 games in Utah; and Stringer, the first women's coach to lead three schools to the US college semifinals. It would be an elite class even without Jordan. With him, it becomes perhaps the strongest and has Springfield buzzing. “I'm anxious to see who's there, but I've got to think there are going to be a lot of former teammates,” said Phoenix Suns general manager and former Jordan teammate Steve Kerr, who won titles with Jordan and Robinson and was traveling to Springfield Thursday. Besides replica jerseys and rings from the championships he won playing for the University of North Carolina, the Chicago Bulls, and the US Olympic team, Jordan's exhibit honors his lgacy as a pitchman. There's a collection of his Air Jordans, the backbone of an endorsement empire that won the sneaker market for Nike and paved the way for today's players to make millions off the court. The weekend events began late Thursday, with the enshrinement Friday followed by a ring ceremony Saturday at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.
