SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Maurice Cheeks, the longtime star guard for the 76ers in the 1980s, broke down in tears Friday night during his induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
"Charles [Barkley] told me not to cry, but I'm about to talk about my mother right here," Cheeks said during his speech, calling her "my very first coach, Mama Cheeks."
Cheeks, an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder, was a four-time NBA all-star and a member of the the Sixers' 1983 championship team. He retired at No. 5 on the NBA's career steals list.