The 2022 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class was announced this weekend. Among the finalists was former Milwaukee Buck and current TV analyst, Marques Johnson. Johnson has been a finalist for the award before. However, he has ultimately never been voted in.
Johnson’s Career as a Buck
In the 1977 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks selected Johnson third overall out of UCLA. During Johnson’s rookie season, he averaged 19.5 points and 10.6 rebounds. These stellar numbers landed Johnson on the 1978 NBA All-Rookie Team. In Johnson’s seven seasons with Milwaukee, he averaged 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists. By the time Marques’ career was over in Milwaukee, he would accumulate 10,980 points, good for seventh all-time.
Over the course of seven seasons in Milwaukee, Johnson was named an All-Star four times. During Johnson’s second season, Marques earned First Team All-NBA honors. In 2019, the Milwaukee Bucks honored Johnson by retiring his #8 jersey and hanging it in the rafters forever.
Previous Hall of Fame Inductions
Marques Johnson is familiar with being inducted into Hall of Fames. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, however, would be the cherry on top. Here are some of the other Hall of Fames Johnson has been selected to:
- 2013 – College Basketball Hall of Fame
- 2019 – California Sports Hall of Fame
- 2019 – Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
These organizations have recognized all that Marques Johnson has accomplished on and off the court. It’s time the Basketball Hall of Fame follows suit.
Johnson Today
Today, Johnson works along side Lisa Byington as the color commentator on TV for Bally Sports Wisconsin. Marques brings a lot of knowledge about the game of basketball to each broadcast. Not only is Johnson’s basketball knowledge impressive, his charismatic personality and wealth of Bucks history make each game enjoyable, regardless of the score.
2022 HoF Class Announcement
The 16 member class has a little over a month before they find out if they will be honored with this prestigious award. The class will be announced during the Men’s NCAA Final Four on April 2nd. The final induction ceremony will be held on September 9-10th in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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