SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 10 (UPI) -- Boston center Robert Parish and Los Angeles Lakers forward James Worthy , headline the list of finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2003.
Parish and Worthy were among those on the list of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players. The North American Screening Committee released its list of 21 finalists Monday, and the group includes famed broadcaster Chic Hearn and five coaches -- Lefty Driesell, Guy Lewis, Norm Stewart, Eddie Sutton, and Bill Sharman.
Parish, a nine-time NBA All-Star, teamed with Hall of Famers Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to form one of the finest frontcourts in league history. The trio won NBA titles in 1981, '84, and 1986.
Worthy led North Carolina to the 1982 NCAA title, and played his entire 12-year NBA career with the Lakers, winning NBA titles in 1985, '87 and 1988. He appeared in seven All-Star Games and is one of only seven Lakers to have his number (42) retired.
Hearn, who died in August, broadcast 3,338 consecutive games for the Lakers, and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986. He earned the Hall of Fame's Curt Gowdy Media Award in 1992.
Sharman, who guided the Lakers to the 1972 NBA title, was enshrined into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1976. He could join John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens as members of the Hall of Fame who earned induction as both a player and coach.
Sharman also won titles with the ABL's Cleveland Pipers and the ABA's Los Angeles Stars and Utah Stars.
Other players named as finalists Monday include current Portland Coach Maurice Cheeks, Adrian Dantley, Walter Davis, Dennis Johnson, the late Gus Johnson, Bobby Jones, and Chet Walker.
Finalists from the contributor category include Hearn, Vic Bubas, Jerry Colangelo, Junius Kellogg, Meadowlark Lemon, and Tex Winter.
Longtime collegiate official Hank Nichols is being considered from the referee category.
Thirty finalists will be considered for induction by the 24-person Honors Committee for Enshrinement. Previous finalists include veterans Forrest Anderson, Grady Lewis, and Earl Lloyd, international finalists Drazen Dalipagic, Pedro Ferrandiz, and Dino Meneghin, and women's finalists Leon Barmore, Harley Redin, and Cathy Rush.
The 2003 Hall of Fame Class will be announced on Monday, April 7, in New Orleans prior to the NCAA Men's Final at the Superdome.
Enshrinements ceremonies are scheduled for the weekend of Sept. 4-6.
Bubas, Davis, Hearn, Lemon, Lewis, Nichols, Parish, and Stewart are first-time finalists.
