Former Jazz player Spencer Haywood to join Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Finally, after years of waiting, Spencer Haywood gets his call into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the 2015 class. The press release from the NBA explains:

April 6, 2015, Indianapolis, IN. - Today, at a Press Event presented by Haggar Clothing Company, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 11 members of the Class of 2015 to be honored September 10-12, 2015 during this year's Enshrinement Ceremonies in Springfield, Massachusetts. This year's list includes 39-year NBA referee Dick Bavetta, three-time College Coach of the Year John Calipari, four-time NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood, eight-time NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo, seven-time NBA All-Star Jo Jo White and three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie.

This is kinda funny, or sad, because Haywood thought he had been elected to the Hall back in 2013, after he was told through unofficial channels from the NBA that he had made it back then. Two years later he is finally there. The bigman deserves it, and had some very big seasons back in the 1970s. He did spent part of one season playing for the New Orleans Jazz, where he still managed 24.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, and shot an astoundingly high 84.9 FT%. Not a lot of Utah Jazz fans have seen him play, and even fewer New Orleans Jazz fans may remember him as a part of their squad. But he is part of franchise history, and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and be forever immortalized.

Congrats Spencer! I always thought all the kids in Utah were named after you!