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The phone rang at about 12:15 p.m., and Marques Johnson couldn’t help but feel a rush.
Unfortunately, the news on the other end from Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame president and chief executive officer John Doleva was too familiar: The Milwaukee Bucks legend was once again informed that he would not be enshrined with the latest class.
“In the droning voice that I’m so accustomed to, ‘I’m sorry to tell you, you didn’t make this time,’” Johnson told the Journal Sentinel on April 4. “He kept telling me don’t get discouraged, just hang in there, it’ll happen, they don’t know when. It was frustrating once again.”
Johnson acknowledged there was some anger that swept through him, but only briefly, and said the one year he truly wanted to get in was his first year of eligibility when his mother was still alive.
But he did laugh that he might be becoming more famous for not getting in at this point. The 70-year-old was voted as a finalist by the veteran’s committee this year, which was the second straight year he reached the last stage before induction. Johnson has had a whirlwind candidacy, as he did not reach the finalist stage from 2022-23 after being a finalist from 2018-22.
“Now, you know, I’m kind of used to it,” Johnson said.
“After I calmed down, I’ll just let the process play out. It’s one of those things. I can’t control it. If it’s gonna happen, it’ll happen. If it doesn’t, it won’t. But it’s not going to diminish, in my mind, how I feel about myself as a basketball player and what I accomplished.”
Johnson, a college basketball hall of famer because of his career at UCLA, was a three-time all-NBA selection and five-time all-star who played seven seasons with the Bucks and finished in the top-10 of MVP voting two times.
Over his 11-year career, Johnson averaged 20.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He also was one of the first “point forwards” in the NBA under former Bucks head coach Don Nelson.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who was part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class, was stunned when Johnson told him he did not get in.
“I was shocked,” Rivers told the Journal Sentinel. “I was just shocked. I think Marques is gonna get in. I do. I believe that. I think he deserves to get in. I played against him. And I know what a Hall of Famer looks like as far as a player. In my 13 years, if I had to rank guys that should be in the Hall of Fame, he’s right up there.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks' Marques Johnson skipped for 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame class
Continue reading...
Unfortunately, the news on the other end from Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame president and chief executive officer John Doleva was too familiar: The Milwaukee Bucks legend was once again informed that he would not be enshrined with the latest class.
“In the droning voice that I’m so accustomed to, ‘I’m sorry to tell you, you didn’t make this time,’” Johnson told the Journal Sentinel on April 4. “He kept telling me don’t get discouraged, just hang in there, it’ll happen, they don’t know when. It was frustrating once again.”
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Johnson acknowledged there was some anger that swept through him, but only briefly, and said the one year he truly wanted to get in was his first year of eligibility when his mother was still alive.
But he did laugh that he might be becoming more famous for not getting in at this point. The 70-year-old was voted as a finalist by the veteran’s committee this year, which was the second straight year he reached the last stage before induction. Johnson has had a whirlwind candidacy, as he did not reach the finalist stage from 2022-23 after being a finalist from 2018-22.
“Now, you know, I’m kind of used to it,” Johnson said.
“After I calmed down, I’ll just let the process play out. It’s one of those things. I can’t control it. If it’s gonna happen, it’ll happen. If it doesn’t, it won’t. But it’s not going to diminish, in my mind, how I feel about myself as a basketball player and what I accomplished.”
Johnson, a college basketball hall of famer because of his career at UCLA, was a three-time all-NBA selection and five-time all-star who played seven seasons with the Bucks and finished in the top-10 of MVP voting two times.
Over his 11-year career, Johnson averaged 20.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. He also was one of the first “point forwards” in the NBA under former Bucks head coach Don Nelson.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who was part of the 2026 Hall of Fame class, was stunned when Johnson told him he did not get in.
“I was shocked,” Rivers told the Journal Sentinel. “I was just shocked. I think Marques is gonna get in. I do. I believe that. I think he deserves to get in. I played against him. And I know what a Hall of Famer looks like as far as a player. In my 13 years, if I had to rank guys that should be in the Hall of Fame, he’s right up there.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks' Marques Johnson skipped for 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame class
Continue reading...
