Tom "Satch" Sanders Elected to Hall of Fame

On Monday, Boston Celtics legend Tom "Satch" Sanders was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“He finally made it, and I’m so pleased because he epitomized what those Celtic teams were all about. Very few people have given to the game what Satch has given his entire life in other ways than just on the floor," said Tommy Heinsohn, one of Sanders' former Celtics teammates.

During his 13 NBA seasons (1960-1073), Sanders played exclusively for the Celtics. At 6'6" and 210 lbs, Sanders was a dominant forward and a vital part of the Celtics defense during their early championship years.

“That’s awesome,” said current Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. “He should have been in 100 years ago... Every time you talk to Tommy or Bill [Russell] or K.C. [Jones], it’s rare that the conversation ends without them throwing his name into it about all the things he did for their team. With the titles they’ve won, he should have been in the Hall of Fame a long time ago.”

Sanders was best known for his defensive skills. And Rivers thinks it's a shame that Sanders was not inducted a long time ago just because he didn't score as much as his teammates.

“I just think it’s a shame — and I’ve said it for years — that us coaches ask guys to be role players, they accept the role, they excel at a Hall of Fame level at the role, but because they didn’t score 25 points a night, then they never get nominated,” said Rivers. “I just think it’s a shame. It’s a team game, and I think that’s the one thing we miss in the Hall of Fame. I’d like to see more guys like that.”

Sanders was joined by such other basketball greats as Dennis Rodman, Artis Gilmore, and Chris Mullin in this year's Hall of Fame class.

(Sources: bostonherald.com)

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