Report: Bobby Jones, Moncrief, Westpal, Divac make Hall of Fame

[April 06, 2019]    Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief, Paul Westphal, Vlade Divac, Al Attles and Chuck Cooper will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported late Friday night.

The official announcement is due to be made Saturday in Minneapolis, where the NCAA Final Four is taking place.

Sacramento Kings head coach Paul Westphal signals to his players in the first half of their NBA basketball game against Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, February, 15, 2011. REUTERS/Bill Waugh

According to Wojnarowski, three highly regarded Hall of Fame candidates, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber and Marques Johnson, did not make the cut.

Jones, 67, began his pro career with the Nuggets in the ABA before playing for Denver and then the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. He was a five-time All-Star and an 11-time All-Defensive Team selection in 12 seasons, and he earned a championship ring with the 76ers in 1982-83.

Jones averaged 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals in his career.

Moncrief, 61, was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a five-time All-Defensive Team choice. He made five All-Star teams and was chosen five times to the All-NBA squad.

Moncrief played 10 of his 11 NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals.

Westphal, 68, was a five-time NBA All-Star and four-time All-NBA player as a guard, mostly with the Phoenix Suns. He also was part of the Boston Celtics' 1973-74 championship team. He averaged 15.6 points and 4.4 assists in 12 seasons.

Westphal went on to coach the Suns, the Seattle SuperSonics and the Sacramento Kings, compiling a 318-279 regular-season mark and a 27-22 postseason record.

Divac, a 51-year-old Serbia native, was selected by the Hall of Fame's International Committee, according to Wojnarowski. He played eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, two with the Charlotte Hornets and six with the Sacramento Kings, averaging 11.8 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Divac is currently the Kings' vice president of basketball operations and general manager.

Attles, 82, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a contributor, according to ESPN's The Undefeated.

Attles played for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors before coaching the San Francisco/Golden State Warriors for 14 seasons, including the franchise's title-winning 1974-75 campaign. He also served three seasons as the Warriors' general manager.

Cooper, who was the first African-American ever chosen in the NBA draft, was selected by the Hall of Fame's Early African-American Pioneers Committee, Wojnarowski reported. The Boston Celtics selected him in the second round in 1950 out of Duquesne.

He spent six seasons in the NBA in the 1950s, with the Celtics, the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks and the Fort Wayne Pistons. Cooper died in 1984 at age 57.

--Field Level Media

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