List of members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Contributors
For a person to be inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor, they must have made "significant contributions to the game of basketball".

List of members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Section Title: Contributors
Table Section Text: For a person to be inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor, they must have made "significant contributions to the game of basketball".

Year	Inductee	Achievements	Ref.

1959	Luther H. Gulick	Head of Physical Education at School for Christian Workers (1887–1900); Chairman of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Basketball Committee (1895–1905)

1959	Edward J. "Ed" Hickox	Represented New England in Olympic Trials (Springfield College, 1936); five New England championships (Springfield College); Board of Directors of Basketball Hall of Fame (1959–66); National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) historian (1944–66)

1959	Ralph Morgan	Founded Collegiate Basketball Rules Committee (1905); Secretary and Treasurer of Rules Committee (1905–31); Founded Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League (now the Ivy League) (1910); Secretary and Treasurer of Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League (1910–31)

1959	James Naismith	Physical education instructor (Springfield College, 1890–95); invented the game of "basket ball", (now called basketball); developed basketball's original 13 rules; physical education professor (Kansas, 1917–37)

1959	Harold G. Olsen	Big Ten Championships (Ohio State; 1925, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1946); helped found NCAA tournament (1939); Chairman of NCAA Rules Committee; first Coach of Basketball Association of America's (BAA) Chicago Stags (1946–49)

1959	Amos Alonzo Stagg	Played in the first public basketball game at Springfield and scored the team's only basket in a 5–1 loss; 7 Big Ten titles during late 19th century and early 20th century (Chicago)

1959	Oswald Tower	Member of Basketball Rules Committee (1910–60); Editor of Official Basketball Guide (1915–60); official rules interpreter (1915–60); coach of Wilbraham (MA) Academy (1907–10)

1960	Henry V. Porter	First representative for high schools on the National Basketball Rules Committee; pioneered use of motion pictures to study proper playing techniques; edited the first high school rule book (1936); edited the first state high school association publication, the Illinois High School Athlete

1961	John J. O'Brien	President, Metropolitan Basketball League (1922–28, 1931–33); President and chairman of the board, American Basketball League (1928–31, 1933–53); dedicated to the advancement of professional basketball in the East; supporter of referees and one of the first league administrators to begin fining players

1961	Arthur A. Schabinger	Officiated in the Missouri Valley Conference, Big Eight, Kansas and Missouri Conferences, and the national AAU championships; one of the founders of the NABC; author of the NABC's Constitution and By-Laws, and designer of its emblem; promoted the adoption of molded basketball by colleges

1961	Arthur L. Trester	Commissioner of Indiana High School Athletic Association (1922–44); coach and referee in Indiana; known as the "Czar" of Indiana high school athletics

1962	Frank Morgenweck	Operated and coached professional teams in 14 cities in the National, New England, Western Massachusetts, Hudson River, Central, New York State, Inter-State, Metropolitan, Eastern States, and American leagues (1901–32); National League championship (Camden, 1904); Metropolitan League championships (Patterson, 1923; Kingston, 1928)

1962	Lynn W. St. John	Lobbied for formal national and international rules for amateur basketball for three decades; served on NCAA Rules Committee with James Naismith (1912–37); Chairman, Rules Committee (1919–37); Member, Olympic Basketball Committee (1936)

1963	William A. Reid	Director of athletics, University of Detroit (1919); Director of athletics, Colgate University (1936–55); President, Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) (1944–45); Director ECAC Executive Council (1945–49)

1964	John W. Bunn	Coached Stanford to Pacific Coast Conference championships (1936–38); Helms Athletic Foundation Championship (Stanford, 1937); Chairman, Basketball Hall of Fame (1949–63); Editor, College Guide and Official Rules Interpreter (1959–60)

1964	Edward S. "Ned" Irish	Basketball director, Madison Square Garden (1934); integral in formation of BAA (1946); founded the New York Knicks (1946); President, New York Knicks (1946–74)

1964	R. William Jones	Co-founded the International Amateur Basketball Federation (FIBA) (1932); organized men's and women's European Championships (1935–63); organized men's and women's World Championships (1950–63); organized Olympic Basketball Tournament (1936–60)

1965	Walter A. Brown	President of the Boston Garden (1937–64); founded the Boston Celtics (1946); Celtics owner (1946–64); spearheaded the formation of the NBA (1949); President of the International Ice Hockey Federation

1965	Paul D. "Tony" Hinkle	Helms Athletic Foundation Championship (Butler, 1924, 1929); President, NABC (1954–55); Chairman, Rules Committee of the National Basketball Committee of U.S. and Canada; coached the Great Lakes Navy teams during World War II

1965	William G. "Bill" Mokray	Started concept of college basketball doubleheaders at the Boston Garden (1944–45); first Chairman of the Hall of Fame Honors Committee (1959–64); owned the world's largest basketball library; considered the number-one authority on the game's history

1968	Clair F. Bee	Influential in the development of 3-second rule; developed the 1-3-1 zone defense; National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship (Long Island University, 1939, 1941); Author, Chip Hilton's Sports Stories for Young People'; Coach of the Baltimore Bullets (1952–54)

1969	Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor	Shoe salesman; Organized first basketball clinic at North Carolina State University (1922); developed the popular Converse Basketball Yearbook (1922); selected All-America teams (1932); The Chuck Taylor "All-Star" was the official shoe of the Olympics (1936–68)

1971	Abraham M. "Abe" Saperstein	Owner of the Harlem Globetrotters. Saperstein's Globetrotters played before 55 million fans in 87 countries; the Globetrotters were part of the first basketball sellout ever at Madison Square Garden; led the Globetrotters to the World Professional Title (1940); won the International Cup with the Globetrotters (1943–44)

1972	Robert L. "Bob" Douglas	Owned and coached New York Renaissance (1922–49); World Professional Championship with Renaissance (1939); known as "The Father of Black Professional Basketball"

1972	Edward "Ed" Gottlieb	BAA Championship (Philadelphia Warriors, 1947); NBA Championship (Philadelphia Warriors, 1956); Coach and Owner of Warriors (1946–55 and 1946–62); Chairman of NBA Rules Committee for 25 years; served as NBA schedule maker for 30 years

1972	W.R. Clifford "Cliff" Wells	50 district, regional, and invitational tournaments, including two championships (Indiana state; 1919, 1934); first President, Indiana High School Coaching Association; member of National Rules Committee (1952–56); first full-time executive secretary and director of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1963–66)

1973	Elmer H. Ripley	2 NCAA Tournament (Georgetown; 1941, 1943); Eastern Championship (Georgetown, 1943); Israeli Olympic team coach (Melbourne, 1956); Canadian Olympic team coach (Rome, 1960)

1974	Harry A. Fisher	2 Helms Athletic Foundation Championship (Columbia; 1904–05); Helms Athletic Foundation All-America (Columbia; 1904–05); Eastern Intercollegiate League championship (Columbia; 1911–12, 1914); editor of Collegiate Guide (1905–15)

1974	Maurice Podoloff	Served as NBA's first commissioner (1949–63); negotiated NBA's first TV contract (1954); arranged for construction and use of the first 24-second clock (1954); NBA's MVP Award is named in his honor

1975	Emil S. Liston	2 Kansas Conference Championship (Baker University; 1930, 1937); President of Kansas Conference Coaches Association (1936–38); created National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB)/National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament (1937); served as NAIA executive secretary (1940–49)

1979	John B. McLendon	3 NAIA championship (Tennessee State; 1957–59); NAIA Coach of the Year (1958); 8 CIAA championships (1941, 1943–44, 1946–47, 1949–50, 1952); first African-American coach with Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League, later coach of the Denver Rockets (ABA)

1979	Peter F. "Pete" Newell	NCAA Championship (California; 1959); NIT Championship (San Francisco, 1949); Olympic Gold Medal (Rome, 1960) with the 1960 United States Olympic Team inducted as a unit in 2010; National Coach of the Year (1960)

1980	Lester "Les" Harrison	Organized Rochester Seagrams, Ebers, and Pros (1920s–40s); Owner of Rochester Royals (1945–1958); NBA championship (Rochester Royals, 1951); instrumental in formation of NBA (1949); organized Kodak Classic Collegiate Tournament (now Rochester Basketball Classic)

1981	Ferenc Hepp	Member of FIBA Technical Commission (1948–56); President of Hungarian Basketball Federation (1954); member of FIBA Central Board (1956); member of FIBA Commission of Finances and Amateurism (1960–80)

1981	James Walter Kennedy	Public Relations Director (BAA/NBA; 1946–51); Public Relations Director (Harlem Globetrotters, 1950s); NBA Commissioner (1963–75); John Bunn Award (1975); NBA named their citizenship award in his honor

1982	Alva O. Duer	NAIB Finals appearance (Pepperdine; 1945); Director and founder of NAIB/NAIA National Basketball Championship Tournament (1949–75); member of U.S. Basketball Association Ethics Committee (1960–64); Board of Directors, U.S.

1983	Louis G. Wilke	Chairman, AAU Basketball Committee, seven terms; Chairman and team manager, Olympic Basketball Committee (1948); Executive board member, U.S. Olympic Committee (1956, 1960); Vice-chairman, Pan American Federation and FIBA Rules Committee (1962)

1984	Clifford B. "Cliff" Fagan	Executive Secretary of Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (1947–57); Secretary of National Basketball Rules Committee (1958–77); executive director of the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations (1958–77); member of U.S.

1984	Edward S. "Ed" Steitz	Instrumental in the reinstatement of the dunk (1976); eliminated jump ball with the exception of the start of the game and overtime (1981); advocate of the 45-second shot clock and three-point shot (1985); NIT Selection Committee (1962–68)

1985	Senda Berenson Abbott	Director of Physical Education (Smith College; 1892–11); organized first women's game at Smith College (March 22, 1893); author, Basketball Guide for Women (1901–07); Chairperson, Basketball Committee for Women (1905–17)

1985	Bertha F. Teague	8 Oklahoma state championships and 7 runners-up; compiled 36 20-plus win seasons, including 28 consecutive (1930–57); founded the first girls' basketball clinic and camp in the Southwest; coach of the Decade (1930s, 1940s, 1960s) by Jim Thorpe Athletic Awards Committee (1974)

1991	Lawrence "Larry" Fleisher	NBA Players Association general counsel (1963–87); developed free-agent system (1976); established antidrug agreement; involved in ABA–NBA merger

1991	Lawrence F. "Larry" O'Brien	NBA Commissioner (1975–84); The Sporting News Sportsman of the Year (1976); created NBA college scholarship program (1980); developed antidrug program (1984); President, Basketball Hall of Fame (1985–87)

1991	Borislav "Boris" Stankovic	Italian national championship (Oransoda team, 1968); oversaw the introduction of the three-point line in international competition; overseen reorganization of FIBA into zonal administration system; member of International Olympic Committee

1999	Wayne R. Embry	Five-time NBA All-Star (1961–65); NBA championship (Boston Celtics, 1968); first African American NBA general manager (Milwaukee Bucks, 1971–79); later GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers; The Sporting News NBA Executive of the Year (1992, 1998)

1999	Fred Zollner	Owner of the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons/Detroit Pistons (1941–1974); NBL championship (Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, 1944–45); key figure in the merger of the BAA and NBL to form the NBA; NBA Finals appearance (Fort Wayne Pistons, 1955–56); named "Mr.

2000	Daniel "Danny" Biasone	President and founder (Syracuse Nationals, 1946–63); inventor of 24-second shot clock (1954); NBA championship (Syracuse Nationals, 1955); John Bunn Award (1982)

2000	Charles Martin Newton	NCAA Championship (Kentucky, 1951); Southeastern Conference (SEC) Coach of the Year (1972 and 1976 with Alabama, 1988 and 1989 with Vanderbilt); President, USA Basketball (1992–96); John Bunn Award (1997)

2003	Francis D. "Chick" Hearn	Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster; Three-time National Sportscaster of the Year (1959, 1965, 1987); Curt Gowdy Media Award (1992); Emmy Award for Excellence in Basketball Coverage (1965); Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame (1986)

2003	Meadowlark Lemon	Longtime player for the Harlem Globetrotters; John Bunn Award (1998); played in more than 16,000 games; known as the "Clown Prince of Basketball"

2003	Earl F. Lloyd	CIAA "Player of the Decade" for the 1940s; NAIA Silver and Golden Anniversary Teams; first African American to play in an NBA game (1950); NBA Championship Team (1955); first African American bench coach (1968)

2004	Jerry Colangelo	Owner and GM of the Phoenix Suns; The Sporting News NBA Executive of the Year (1976, 1981, 1989, 1993); youngest general manager in professional sports (1968); enshrined in Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame (1995); former Chairman and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks; GM of the U.S.

2005	Hubert "Hubie" Brown	Coach of the Atlanta Hawks; New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies; Two-time NBA Coach of the Year (1978, 2004); ABA Championship (Kentucky Colonels, 1975); Curt Gowdy Media Award (2000); nominated for a Sports Emmy (1994, 1999)

2006	Dave Gavitt	Coach, 1980 United States Olympic Team; five-time New England Coach of the Year; founder of the Big East Conference; John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award (1987); Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball Award winner (1993)

2008	William Davidson	Principal owner, Detroit Pistons (1974–2009); NBA championships (Detroit Pistons, 1989–90, 2004); Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) championships (Detroit Shock, 2003, 2006, 2008); first owner in North American sports history to win championships in three different major professional leagues (NBA, WNBA, and National Hockey League (NHL))

2008	Dick Vitale	ESPN Broadcaster; Sports Personality of the Year by the American Sportscasters Association (1989); Curt Gowdy Media Award (1998); NABC Cliff Wells Appreciation Award (2000); Books include Time Out Baby!, Campus Chaos, Living a Dream and Holding Court

2010	Jerry Buss	Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers (1979–2013) and Los Angeles Sparks (1997–2006); 10 NBA championships (Lakers, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–88, 2000–02, 2009–10); two WNBA championships (Sparks, 2000–01)

2011	Tom "Satch" Sanders	Player with the Boston Celtics (1960–73); 8 NBA championships (1961–66, 1968, 1969); later coach of the Celtics and Harvard University; key developer of the NBA's Rookie Transition Program and founder of many of the league's player programs; John Bunn Award (2007)

2011	Tex Winter	Architect of the triangle offense; two NCAA Final Fours at Kansas State University (1958, 1964); UPI National Coach of the Year (1958); NABC president, 1982–83; nine NBA titles as an assistant (Chicago Bulls, 1991–1993, 1996–1998; Los Angeles Lakers, 2000–2002); John Bunn Award (1998)

2012	Donald Barksdale	First African American to be named to a major college All-America team (Helms Foundation, 1947, with UCLA); first African American to play for and win Olympic gold with Team USA (1948); first African American to play in the NBA All-Star Game (1953)

2012	Phil Knight	Co-founder of Nike, "credited with expanding the game of basketball around the world through its innovative products and influential marketing" and "the first sports brand to incorporate top athletes to connect with consumers emotionally"

2013	Russ Granik	NBA executive from 1976 to 2006, "involved in every major negotiation including television contracts, collective bargaining, and league expansion" during his tenure; also president of USA Basketball who helped oversee the inclusion of NBA players in the 1992 Olympic "Dream Team"

2013	Edwin Bancroft Henderson	Dubbed the "Father of Black Basketball"; introduced the sport to the black community in Washington, D.C. in the early 20th century and formed many organizations to govern and promote the sport among African Americans

2014	Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton	First African American player to sign an NBA contract who caught on with a team; one-time NBA All-Star (1957); also played with two Hall of Fame teams in the New York Renaissance and Harlem Globetrotters; 1978 inductee in the Black Athletes Hall of Fame

2014	David Stern	NBA commissioner from 1984 to 2014, during which time the league expanded by seven teams and signed several lucrative TV deals.

2015	George Raveling	Longtime college coach and broadcaster who served on the boards of many major basketball organizations, among them the NABC, NCAA, USA Basketball, and Nike, also serving as Nike's director of grassroots and international basketball.

2016	Jerry Reinsdorf	Owner and chairman of the Chicago Bulls since 1985, turning the franchise into a lucrative business that won six NBA Championships in the 1990s (1991–1993 and 1996–1998)

2017	Rebecca Lobo	She was a member of the NCAA National Champion Connecticut Huskies (1995). She won several awards including; AP Female Athlete of the Year, the Wade Trophy, the Naismith Award, WBCA National Player of the Year and USBWA National Player of the Year.

2017	Mannie Jackson	A Harlem Globetrotters star, He saved the team from extinction by buying it and becoming its CEO from 1993 to 2007.

2017	Tom Jernstedt	An NCAA administrator with a career of 38 years. He formerly played for Oregon ducks as a quarterback.

2017	Jerry Krause	General manager and Executive Vice president of the Chicago Bulls during their Michael Jordan-led dynasty years.

2018	Rod Thorn	2002 NBA Executive of the Year

2018	Rick Welts

2019	Al Attles	1975 NBA champion as a coach for the Warriors No. 16 retired by the Golden State Warriors No.

Sentence(s)

McLendon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979 as a "contributor".

final_sentence: McLendon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979 as a "contributor".