While most of the Dime crew was in D.C. and Boston for the Red Bull King of the Rock qualifiers, I had the chance to go to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ring ceremony at Mohegan Sun. Former greats such as Rick Barry, Moses Malone, Calvin Murphy, George Gervin and Dr. J all came out to honor the newest members of the Hall and possibly hit up the Dennis Rodman after party. It’s a surreal feeling, being surrounded by greatness. Just the way these men carried themselves, you could tell. They weren’t obnoxious, self-satisfied or gratified. It was honorable and graceful. The way you’d teach your children to handle hundreds of star-struck on-lookers and swarming media. And then Dennis Rodman walked in.
Nine-tenths of him was adorned in a seemingly quiet outfit for his normally boisterous style, but his head gear told a different story. Rocking a Mohegan headdress (at least that’s what I assumed it to be), his feathers protruded in his classic star-of-the-show style. But when it came time to do a little talking, he was gracious once again; a man humbled by adulation for his achievement.
When the dinner wound down and the rings were handed out, I had the opportunity to catch up with Tom “Satch” Sanders, an eight-time NBA champion with the Celtics of the 1960s. But his impact on the NBA didn’t stop when he retired, as he began working with NBA rookies and veterans alike to guide them before, during and after their time as professional athletes. Here’s what the newly inducted Hall of Famer had to say:
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