A new set of former NBA superstars have been enshrined to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as champions Paul Pierce and Chris Bosh headline the Class of 2021.

Pierce and Bosh were inducted to the Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 11 (Sunday, September 12, Manila time), leading the 16-man class that also features Ben Wallace and Chris Webber.

An established scorer, Pierce led the Boston Celtics to their last NBA championship in 2008 and won Finals Most Valuable Player in a team that includes Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

Pierce, who also had stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers, relished his 15-season run with the Celtics after the storied franchise nabbed him at No. 10 in the 1998 Draft.

“Thank you for passing on me and adding fuel to the fire,” Pierce said in his speech, enumerating all the teams that did not draft him as he landed in Boston, where he earned four All-NBA and 10 All-Star selections.

Bosh, meanwhile, first started his NBA career with the Toronto Raptors, who selected him as the No. 4 pick in the 2004 Draft bannered by former teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

After seven seasons in Toronto, Bosh linked up with James and Wade in Miami and helped the Heat capture back-to-back NBA championships in 2012 and 2013.

But a blood-clotting condition sidelined Bosh since 2016 and he eventually hung up his spurs in 2019, drawing the curtains on an illustrious career highlighted by 11 All-Star appearances.

“I eventually came to realize that we all have in our power to make the most out of everyday despite what happens, to turn setbacks into strengths,” said Bosh about retiring during the peak of his career.

“Because in a way, that is the lesson I’ve been learning my whole life.”

While Bosh was still starting to make a name for himself in 2004, Wallace already reached the pinnacle of the NBA that year.

The epitome of sheer hard work and will, Wallace anchored the Detroit Pistons to the NBA title in 2004 as they staged a monumental upset of the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers.

Individually, Wallace won the Defensive Player of the Year four times, a record he shares with NBA icon Dikembe Mutombo, and secured his place in five All-NBA and six All-Defensive teams.

Despite being undrafted in 1996 and considered undersized as a big man, the 6-foot-9 Wallace played in the NBA for 16 seasons, including stints with Wizards/Bullets, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I was too small. I could not play the game they wanted me to play the game. Sounded like an uneven game for me. Put me on a level playing field and I showed them,” Wallace said as he ended his speech with a raised fist.

Although he did not win an NBA title like Pierce, Bosh, and Wallace, Webber submitted a resume worthy enough of a spot in the Hall of Fame.

The No. 1 pick in 1993 and the Rookie of the Year, Webber was a five-time All-NBA team member and a five-time All-Star.

Webber ended his 15-season NBA career, which saw him play for the Golden State Warriors, Bullets/Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, and Pistons, averaging 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.

“No matter who you are, champions like Kevin Garnett, Isaiah (Thomas), or Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace, or a guy like myself who went through the league and did my thing, you’re going to have to bounce back,” Webber said.

Also enshrined as part of the Class of 2021 were Bill Russell, Toni Kukoc, Yolanda Griffith, Lauren Jackson, Bob Dandridge, Rick Adelman, Jay Wright, Pearl Moore, Howard Garfinkel, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Val Ackerman, and Clarence “Fats” Jenkins.

Russell became only the fifth person to enter the Hall of Fame as both a player and coach as two of his record 11 NBA titles with the Boston Celtics came during his tenure as player-coach.

– Rappler.com