Jackson, Mullin, Vitale highlight Hall of Fame finalists

Former players Adrian Dantley and Richie Guerin; coaches Roy Williams, Eddie Sutton and Bob Hurley Sr.; owner Bill Davidson; and the 1966 Texas Western NCAA championship team were also nominated.

Also, referee Mendy Rudolph, Yugoslavian coach Mirko Novosel, Spanish coach Pedro Ferrandiz and former U.S. women’s basketball coaches Van Chancellor and Harley Redin received nominations.

The final selection will be voted by a 24-person committee, and 18 votes are required to enter the Hall of Fame. It will be announced on April 2 at the Final Four in Atlanta for the induction ceremonies in Springfield, Massachusetts on September 7.

Jackson has nine NBA championship with the Bulls and Lakers, tying him with Red Auerbach, and was the fastest coach to win 800 games. The North Dakota native played professionally for the Knicks and Nets.

Mullin was a five-time NBA All-Star and was named Big East Player of the Year an unprecedented three times. He won a pair of Olympic gold medals, in 1984 and 1992, and played 16 seasons in the NBA for Golden State and Indiana, averaging more than 20 points per game for six straight.

A Passaic, New Jersey native, Vitale has spent the last 20 years as ESPN’s lead college basketball color announcer. After coaching at the high school (East Rutherford), collegiate (Detroit), and professional (Detroit) levels, Vitale switched over to the broadcast booth in 1979.