Adrian Wojnarowski Calls Out 'Embarrassing' Hall Of Fame Snub
ESPN.
On Sunday, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame unveiled the individuals that would make up the class of 2021. Nine new members will join the ranks of basketball's elite in Springfield.
However, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski felt strongly that one deserving individual was left out of the newest Hall of Fame class: Sonny Vaccaro.
Vaccaro is best known for his role with Nike, where he proved instrumental in signing Michael Jordan to a shoe deal. Needless to say, the partnership blossomed into the Air Jordan campaign, which became a worldwide phenomenon that still impacts that game to this day.
Vaccaro also went on to co-found the first national high school All-Star game in 1965. The Dapper Dan Roundball Classic ran for 43 years and featured numerous future NBA stars, including Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.
Because of his various contributions to the NBA landscape, Wojnarowski felt strongly that Vaccaro deserved the honor this year.
"The list is long of powerbrokers determined to deny his impact on the game, but it’s impossible to write the history of basketball without Sonny Vaccaro," Wojnarowski
The list is long of powerbrokers determined to deny his impact on the game, but it’s impossible to write the history of basketball without Sonny Vaccaro. His imprint is massive. He deserves election to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. It’s an embarrassing omission.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2021
">tweeted following the announcement of the class. "His imprint is massive. He deserves election to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. It’s an embarrassing omission."
Wojnarowski raises an interesting point and it's worth wondering why Vaccarro continues to be left out of the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Nike executive changed the way that the sport operates, but has never really received the recognition for it.
Although Vaccaro was left out of the Hall once again, the class of 2021 turned out to be a solid group. The new inductees featured four former NBA players, two former NBA coaches, one current college coach and two ex-WNBA players.
Paul Pierce and Chris Bosh highlighted the class of 2021, entering the Basketball Hall of Fame as two of the defining players of the 2000's and early 2010's. The duo was joined by Chris Webber and Ben Wallace, coaches Rick Adelman, Bill Russell and Jay Wright and WNBA stars Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson.
