The ceremony honoring the 2016 class of inductees to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was held on Friday. It was an especially anticipated event for longtime fans of the sport given the class’ headlining names. NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming were all inducted, joining Sheryl Swoopes, Jerry Reinsdorf, Darell Garretson, Tom Izzo, John McLendon and Cumberland Posey.
Meanwhile, for hoops historians in the state of Utah, the real headliner was Big Z, Zelmo Beaty.
Long before John Stockton sent the Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals in 1997 or Adrian Dantley led the team to its first division title in 1984, the Utah Stars were the class of the American Basketball Association (ABA).