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Springfield, Mass. » Utah Jazz nemesis Michael Jordan played the part of gracious winner Friday during his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Prior to enshrinement in a class that also included Utah coach Jerry Sloan and former point guard John Stockton, Jordan called the Jazz "great adversaries" who helped bring out the best in him during the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals.
Led by Jordan, the Chicago Bulls won their fifth and sixth world championships in those two six-game series.
It was as close as Sloan, Stockton or any Jazz team have ever come to winning a championship.
"For us to beat them twice, I think that says a lot about our team because they were a great team," Jordan said. "[People] say, 'How can you be a great team? You never actually won a championship.' Unfortunately [for Utah], the ball bounced in our favor. They could have easily beaten us twice."
Referring to Sloan, Stockton and future Hall of Famer Karl Malone, Jordan said, "I enjoyed competing against them. They helped me raise my level of competition to the highest level. And the fortunate part is I ended up on top a couple of times."
Longer than expected
Stockton drew a laugh at Friday morning's Hall of Fame news conference when he talked about coming out of little Gonzaga University as the No. 16 pick in the 1984 draft and trying to carve out a niche in
"I thought they would figure me out pretty quickly," he said. "I thought the Jazz would figure out they made a mistake, so I saved every cent. When I got the first paycheck, I saved [it].
"I rented a one-room apartment that was already furnished. Never bought a television set. I went to a discount food store and bought cans of Nalley's chili and I made my mom's lasagna and stacked it in the fridge. I was pretty sure I was a one-year-and-out guy."
Stockton ended up playing 1,504 regular-season games in the NBA.
Stability is good
Stockton credited Larry Miller , the Jazz's late owner, for creating an environment within his franchise that helped him reach the Hall of Fame.
"The stability is huge," Stockton said. "First of all, you have to know who the boss is and, clearly, Jerry was the boss.
"If that's convoluted in any way, your team is going to have difficulties. [But] when ownership stands behind the coach, you can have a successful team."
Referring to Miller, Stockton said, "He didn't have many knee-jerk reactions. We had good times and we had bad times. But he didn't start firing guys and trading guys. ... It made it cozy and comfortable and really allows you to be all you can be, if I can borrow that phrase."
Sloan's protector
Gus Johnson is a former teammate who Sloan mentioned as having a significant impact on his career.
The two played together in Baltimore, when Sloan was a rookie. He went to Chicago in the expansion draft following the season.
"Gus was a terrific teammate for me," Sloan said. "He probably supported me as much as anybody back then. In fact, I got into a fight ..."
The crowd laughed.
"The next year I went to Chicago," Sloan continued, "and we played Baltimore in an exhibition game. I got in a fight with one of their players. Fortunately, Gus got in front of the guy and saved my life.
"He said, 'Rook, get behind me. Nobody is going to hit you.' That's the kind of relationship I had with him. It was a wonderful feeling knowing I wasn't going to get my butt kicked."
