Reggie Miller saluted his sister, fellow Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller. Watch video
Members of the 2012 class of inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame, from left, Katrina McClain, Reggie Miller and Don Nelson, were among 11 individuals and one team inducted Friday at Symphony Hall.SPRINGFIELD - Above all else, and even beyond the glamour of its greatest stars, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has prided itself on its place as a home for diversity.
Never has that commitment been more evident during Enshrinement that in the Class of 2012, which was welcomed into the Hall of Fame Friday night at Symphony Hall.
One of the largest classes since annual elections began in 1959 covered the expanse of the sport. Represented were
NBA players who shined in every decade from the 1950s to the early years of the 21st Century.
There were also pioneers of gender and racial equality, coaching greats from the United States and the Soviet Union, an American Basketball Association legend, a premier referee and a giant of marketing and product development.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2012 included players Reggie Miller, Jamaal Wilkes, Ralph Sampson and Chet Walker, coaches Don Nelson and Lidia Alexeeva, racial pioneering player Don Barksdale and the All-American Red Heads, a touring women's pro team for 50 years.
Also inducted were U.S. Olympic great Katrina McClain, ABA superstar Mel Daniels, referee Hank Nichols and Nike co-founder and marketing innovator Phil Knight.
Miller was the headliner, so he spoke last.
"This is awesome!'' the Indiana Pacers' all-time scoring leader said.
Miller said that growing up, he emulated Wilkes, who had an odd but effective shot. According to Miller, he used Wilkes as the example when coaches tried to change his own style.
Miller also made note of Daniels, who was ill and unable to attend. Both played for the Pacers in different eras, and Miller referred to Daniels as an uncle.
He also had a word for Magic Johnson, one of his presenters.
"Magic taught me how to lie and cheat. Let me explain,'' Miller said, smiling.
He said Johnson would twist the rules to win at pickup games. Apocryphal or not, the message of the story was that Miller learned to put winning first.
He saved special words for his sister, Cheryl Miller. They are now the first brother-sister combination in a major sports hall of fame; Cheryl Miller was inducted in 1995.
"I just happened to live across the hall from absolutely, positively, the greatest women's basketball player ever. We (in the Miller family) rode on your shoulders,'' he said.
Further, Reggie Miller said the night was special because the three greatest players in basketball history were in the same room - Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Cheryl Miller.
Nelson brought an NBA record to enshrinement. His 1,335 victories are the league's all-time high, and he did it mostly with teams of only modest talent.
"Having Don on the sidelines was a huge advantage. He could win games with his decision making,'' said Hall of Famer Chris Mullin, who starred for Nelson at Golden State.
Nelson got a hand when he recalled his playing days with the Boston Celtics.
"I had a great career in Boston. I was one of the luckiest guys in the world,'' said Nelson, who won a forward's spot in 1965 after Tom Heinsohn's retirement had left a vacancy.
He stayed until 1976, winning five NBA titles as a player. His contribution to coaching has been a remarkable knack for innovation, turning mediocre teams into competitive clubs.
"He might have had that country bumpkin look, with his hair disheveled. But he was so clever, and always thinking out of the box,'' said Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, who played for Nelson in Milwaukee.
"Hopefully this will be the last tuxedo I'll be wearing,'' said Nelson, who has always enjoyed the affectionate humor about his Everyman look.
Miller ranks 14th all-time in NBA scoring, and second in three-point shooting. In interviews leading up to enshrinement, one of the game's most reliable clutch shooters called hard work his ticket to greatness.
"To me, repetition was always key. Because I was a late bloomer, I had to work hard, which is needed to get ahead in any profession,'' Miller said.
Sampson was one of the first big man with the dexterity to play away from the basket. At 7-foot-4, the three-time NCAA player of the year at Virginia was the biggest.
Sampson's height gave scoring easy as a youth, so "I learned to rebound, block shots and dribble,'' he said.
"I valued the game to the highest level you could value it.''
Wilkes was a gifted shooter and a consummate winner. He played on UCLA's 1972 and '73 NCAA championship teams, and on four NBA titlists in a 12-year NBA career.
Barksdale died at 69 in 1993. His son, Derek, accepted the award for the first African-American to play for the U.S. Olympic team (1948), and later a groundbreaker in the NBA.
"He was very humble,'' said Derek Barksdale, who did not realize as a youth the impact his father was making.
"His personality allowed him to rise above (bigotry he faced),'' said Bob Cousy, who was Barksdale's teammate with the Celtics from 1953-55. 
The All American Red Heads toured the nation from 1936 to 1986. The first women's team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was represented by Tammy Harrison, the daughter of team owner Orwell Moore
"In 1936, it was considered socially unacceptable and physically impossible to run up and down the floor, to sweat and to compete,'' said Harrison, whose mother was a star player for the Red Heads.
The Red Heads changed that perception. They entertained in the style of the Harlem Globetrotters, but also proved that women could play a very skilled brand of basketball.
McClain has been called the greatest power forward in women's basketball history. She voiced special appreciation for her years on the national team.
"I loved playing for USA Basketball. I loved playing for my country,'' the two-time Olympic gold medalist said.
As NCAA rules coordinator, Nichols was sandwiched between Springfield College coaches Ed Steitz and Ed Bilik in that role.
"Ed Steitz taught me that it doesn't matter how you write the rule, you have to teach it in the spirit and the intent of it. I never forgot that,'' Nichols said.h
Walker was saluted for a 13-year NBA career that produced 18,831 points. Knight's presenters were Michael Jordan and former Georgetown coach John Thompson.
The 88-year-old Alexeeva, who could not attend, was the Soviet Union's national women's team coach from 1962-84.
Also absent was Daniels, the ABA's all-time rebounder. He was hospitalized this week for a urinary tract infection, but a brief recorded acceptance speech was played.