Chicago Tribune: Tex Winter to be inducted into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Tex Winter, a key architect of the triangle offense that helped spur 11 NBA titles with Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported.
Winter's induction brings closure to a long and frustrating wait to get inducted. When Winter received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award before Game 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Winter's son, Chris, told reporters that Tex had received seven nominations to be inducted, though the limit is supposed to be five. When it was announced last April that Lakers owner Jerry Buss would be inducted in the 2010 class, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson shared that throughout his tenure with the Chicago Bulls he engaged in a letter-writing campaign so that his long-time mentor would get his due. "It's like Tex says, he's outlived all his contemporaries," Jackson said of Winter, who had been an active consultant with the Lakers until suffering a stroke in April 2009. "It's a hard shot for him to get in."
Now Winter's contributions will be recognized beyond receiving the John Bunn Award from the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1998, which recognized him as a contributor to the game. Winter was inducted to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame last February for combined 454 win total in head coaching stints with Marquette, Northwestern, Long Beach State and Kansas State, where he was selected the UPI Coach of the Year in 1959. But he had trouble getting considered for the Naismith Hall of Fame because he was mostly an assistant coach in the NBA, though he was the Houston Rockets' head coach from 1971-73.
"It's the dumbest ... I ever heard," Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said last year regarding Winter's long-time omission. "They should fire the whole panel. [Winter's resume] speaks for itself. Going back to college with Kansas State and what he did with the pros, he was the one who brought the [triangle] to Phil and you know what that dynasty did for the NBA and for basketball as a whole and then coming here and doing it again. I call him, 'Yoda.' He really taught me a lot. I know how Michael [Jordan] feels about him and we've talked about him a great deal too. You can't overstate the significance of the game."
--Mark Medina
E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com
Photo: Tex Winter. Credit: Associated Press.
Repost
Triangulator- Dude...what's the DEAL, Quitters never WIN. I believe you're one of the blog27? Your team is so close to a 3 peat and your walking AWAY, if most of the Lakerholics felt like you it wouldn't be anyone HERE What are you going to do when The HEAT meet the Lake Show in the FINALS? and Lebron getting ready to DROP the HAMMER on KOBE. You're going to need your blog27 to ease the PAIN. Reconsider ...DUDE.
Posted by: G.Money | April 02, 2011 at 05:44 PM
MVP,
I think the Lakers will be prepared for the 2nd round no matter who the 1st round opponent is. Earlier in the year the way the Lakers were playing I would’ve preferred an easier opponent, but now -- no problems either way. Magic and Co. regularly had a cake walk in the 1st rd and it didn’t affect them. Same for Phil’s other three 3peat teams.
Posted by: LRob | April 02, 2011 at 04:48 PM
=====
You and "dan the man" are right. What am I thinking. These Lakers are no ordinary team. Period.
Posted by: KobeMVP888 | April 02, 2011 at 05:47 PM
about time.
Posted by: soshibo | April 02, 2011 at 05:49 PM
If Rodman was overdue, Tex Winter should have been inducted BEFORE the Hall of Fame was formed! Congratulations to one of basketball's true innovators!
Posted by: KobeMVP888 | April 02, 2011 at 06:23 PM
finally.
Posted by: mud | April 02, 2011 at 06:46 PM
Hey, can we stop bashing one specific blogger? I don't want to mention names, but this blogger made another blogger mad or something along those lines and now everyone is turning on him. Can we just let the two unnamed bloggers work this out themselves?...I have this thing called love for both of these people and I'm feeling bad that either is hurting.
Lots of love for everyone,
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | April 02, 2011 at 06:46 PM
Thank you wes...my sentiments exactly...
Posted by: LEWSTRS | April 02, 2011 at 06:49 PM
IT'S ABOUT FRICKEN TIME!!!!
Congratulations, Coach Winters!
What do we play for? RINGS!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 02, 2011 at 06:49 PM
IT'S ABOUT FRICKEN TIME!!!!
Congratulations, Coach Winters!
What do we play for? RINGS!!!
Lakers Today... Lakers Tomorrow... Lakers Forever.
GO LAKERS!!!
Posted by: Jon K. | April 02, 2011 at 06:49 PM
REPOST:
Jon K: This is for you
http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/206063_10150521063255296_534530295_17863866_7902044_n.jpg
Posted by: Diandra | April 02, 2011 at 06:52 PM
Congrats to Tex. It is well deserved and long overdue for this basketball genius to be inducted. Like the Rock would say, "FINALLY, Tex has gotten into the hall of fame"! Dennis Rodman is also deserving. Rodman was the best conditioned athlete of all time and never seemed to tire. He would run all game with that high stride of his. Rodman defense was outstanding and he could guard a center like shaq to a point guard and he won defensive person of the year several times. He won several rebounding titles as well even though only 6' 7". Rodman was not a scorer but his impact on the game was huge. He was a member of the bulls team that won 72 games and he won 5 nba titles.
Posted by: island priest | April 02, 2011 at 06:55 PM
Funny Dr Di. That Cat loves his Lakers.
I need to find a picture of a big fat mut wearing Celtic green.
Wes
Posted by: wesjoenixon | April 02, 2011 at 06:55 PM
@KOBEMVP888 … Congrats on another Friedman, Kenny. Still not among your best posts for sure but worthy.
Posted by: LakerTom | April 02, 2011 at 04:55 PM
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Thank you, Tom. I take that as the ultimate compliment!
Posted by: KobeMVP888 | April 02, 2011 at 07:00 PM
Tex - well deserved and past due. Congratulations!
Posted by: dkwsfo | April 02, 2011 at 07:06 PM
@The Triangulator
Didn't say I believe any of that quite honestly I don't believe that at all about the Marines; bad apples everywhere. I just don't think Cuban is an idiot. I respect that he doesn't believe everything he's told and questions the status quo not only in the NBA but in the world. It would be a lot easier for a billionair to sit and do nothing. He's a Laker Hater who cares I hate the Mavs. Don't know or care what Dr. Buss's world views are, wouldn't change my love for the Lakers.
Don't make statements like that if you don't have thick skin and don't expect a response. Seperate that with your love of the Lakers and take it for what it is and what you wrote. You have as much right as anyone else here to post what you want and to enjoy sharing your love for the Lakers.
Posted by: NBA4ever | April 01, 2011 at 01:13 PM
Obviously you read my response with your clever line “NBA4ever said I need to have thicker skin. My skin is thick enough. My principles are even thicker!” But to slander my name because I said I respect Cuban and twist it into this raw raw principle and pride drama that I don’t respect our soldiers and tell me what my believes are is ridiculous and offending as hell.
Typical! Do you work for Fox News? Because that was a good one, a typical template post that they would be grinning about. All Kobefan said was that Cuban wasn’t an idiot, he’s a self made billionaire.
I TOTALLY agree with you about the soldier’s role and how they are the true victims of any war regardless of it being just or not. I have no interest in any documentary insinuating that our soldiers are rapist and pillagers because I know it’s like any culture, race, or group when there are large numbers there will always be bad apples like I posted before.
As far as Cuban’s take on 9/11 I don’t know what it is nor have I even heard of his documentary on it. I do respect that he is interested in finding out what really happened and would like to know the whole truth. I don’t have any defined believes on that issue because I have NO CLUE nor do you. The one thing I do know from a lot of things I’ve seen it isn’t EXACTLY the official story that we were given. Does that make me unpatriotic or make me love my country any less? Probably the opposite and I know a lot of bloggers in this community think the same way as I do and they know who they are as I do from reading things they have posted over 3+ years.
So I would appreciate that you don’t take a simple defense of a man as something so offending to your principles that you feel the need for all this drama, sympathy, but worse of all a platform to twist mine and Kobefan’s opinion into this righteous rant of your “principles” and how deep they are. Seriously stop watching and listening to nuts like Limbaugh and Beck because that performance was verbatim the little twisted propaganda they convey when they want to express their opinions. Take a simple statement of the persons/groups they disagree with and spin it for their own self serving agenda.
Posted by: NBA4ever | April 02, 2011 at 07:40 PM
MVP,
I just read your post from earlier in the day:
---". When we need him the most, whether it's a big playoff game or a game like last night when everyone else was trying to get their legs under them, Derek Fisher shows up."---
Big ups!!
That was my favorite line, but the whole comment great.
Keep up the good work, I see many more "Friedman's" in your future!!
dan
Posted by: dan the man | April 02, 2011 at 07:46 PM
@LakerTom
"I understand and agree with why you are angry but don’t give in and leave"
You do? Did you read what Kobefan and I wrote? Read what I just posted and tell me you don't agree with me? That goes for everyone who wrote something about how they understand and that he should just scroll past people who don't need to be read.
Did any of you read what we said that he spun into this self serving righteous post slandering us and depicting that we even had had an opinion that strongly? If so and you think he’s in the right and he didn’t slander and spin our post then so be it, if you didn’t read our post and sympathize with his then shame on you. If anyone is offended and needs there to be sympathy for; it’s for him slandering and twisting a simple statement and vilifying us with some extreme redirect for his own self serving agenda.
Posted by: NBA4ever | April 02, 2011 at 08:06 PM
Big ups!!
That was my favorite line, but the whole comment great.
Keep up the good work, I see many more "Friedman's" in your future!!
dan
Posted by: dan the man | April 02, 2011 at 07:46 PM
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Thanks, dan the man! If you have been reading my posts, I think many in here might say I'm the "Anti-Friedman Award," so I accept your compliment with humility. Thank you again.
Posted by: KobeMVP888 | April 02, 2011 at 08:22 PM
NBA4ever - Let's let it go...we are really spending way too much time on this little issue...
There is no scoreboard...no one is taking sides...I have not read anyone is saying he is right and you are wrong, or vice versa...
Our message is, no need to leave over such petty issues...I would be saying the same to you if you said you were leaving...
Saying to just ignore each others post, is a way to get to cooler heads and get a resolution and back to the real topics...How much ass is this Laker team going to kick...
Let's not cloud this historical moment in our team's history with such trivial stuff, especially politics...We don't need to be distracted with two of our best members going at it about nothing...(I'm not including Kobefan...sorry...I have you slotted as a troll)...
So I'm pulling a Jimmy Carter and brokering a peace settlement here between Egypt and Israel...(can you picture me in a sweater with my buck tooth smile)
So cut it out you knuckleheads...let's move on...and celebrate this most AWESOME team...
Posted by: LEWSTRS | April 02, 2011 at 09:04 PM
NBA4ever
Welcome to life on the la times laker blog where people brand you a certain way just because you disagree with their buddy. They dont read what you write or even know exactly what you are disagreeing with; all they know is that you must be a troll because you are arguing with one of their buddies.
Thanks
PSP Officer
Posted by: Practice Season Police | April 02, 2011 at 09:21 PM
You and "dan the man" are right. What am I thinking. These Lakers are no ordinary team. Period.
Posted by: KobeMVP888 | April 02, 2011 at 05:47 PM
-
This is a 3-peat team, one of the greatest ones. To be where they are right now for the 4th time in a row is not an easy task. It requires a "memorable" team, the ones that we'll remember forever.
Off to the dinasty!
Posted by: Magic Phil | April 02, 2011 at 09:29 PM
Wow I didn't know he wasn't in the HOF already. Yep, long overdue.
Posted by: Scott | April 02, 2011 at 09:34 PM
This blog is one big soap opera, and I'm hooked.
I'm scanning through every thread in reverse order and it's kinda like that movie MOMENTO! Fascinating stuff.
I started going back through the threads to try and figure out what exactly happened to MAMBA24. This thing is getting deeper and deeper. I'm beginning to see a correlation between Larry's disappearance and justa's stalker.
This is getting good, I'm going to go get some more popcorn...
Posted by: hendrix | April 02, 2011 at 09:41 PM
Good.
Posted by: phred | April 02, 2011 at 10:11 PM
PSP,
We are not siding with anybody here, we are supposed to be all buddies in this blog with one topic and that's the Lakers. Any side topics should be settled on the side bar. On the contrary, it is evident that there are some posters who come to this blog to stir trouble, to create intrigues but try to portray themselves as involved fans. You can read their posts between the lines, the best thing is to ignore and just move on.
On the case Triangulation departure, NBA4ever, you may have hit his nerve of sensitivity on one particular issue. Hey, try to understand the other side. Be a gentleman to forgive, forget and move on. If you want to apologize on this misunderstanding, perhaps that will be a noble gesture of brotherhood within the Laker community but you don't have to.
In the case of Mamba24, we have no knowledge of why he chose not to blog, I think he already contacted MM that he will be be back by playoffs time. Why don't we just wait when he comes back?
Let's all move on and focus onTex Winter who finally got the HOF award. It is way, way overdue.
Posted by: Edwin Gueco | April 02, 2011 at 10:24 PM
Mavs lose the Warriors? Yikes!
Posted by: jefe101 | April 02, 2011 at 10:30 PM
What the heck is going on the last couple of days. We all bleed purple and gold. Let that wash over you and squash this pettiness. You really want the blog to turn into Kobe and Shaq's final season together? Didn't think so. So man up like they should've did and let's crack open a bottle of Dos Equis for Tex finally getting his due.
Posted by: alekesam | April 03, 2011 at 12:46 AM