Hakeem Olajuwon, who led the University of Houston to three straight Final Fours and the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA titles; Patrick Ewing, a two time Olympic Gold Medalist, 1984 NCAA Champion at Georgetown and 11-time NBA All-Star; and Pat Riley, head coach of the Miami Heat who has captured a total of five NBA championships as a coach with the Heat and Lakers, were named as Finalists for election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.  

In addition, NBA and Notre Dame scoring legend Adrian Dantley, the late Dennis Johnson, former St. John?s and NBA standout Chris Mullin, current Golden State Warriors' Coach Don Nelson, and ESPN sportscaster Dick Vitale highlight a list of 15 individuals named as Finalists for election into the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2008.  The announcement was made today in New Orleans, LA in conjunction with the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.