Kevin E. McHale's Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Speech

kevin

mchale

was certainly a good luck for

basketball

when you grew too big to become an effective hockey goalie. You loved your home state of Minnesota. You became the best high school and college player in your beloved state and then went on to have an outstanding career. As we just saw in 13 professional seasons with the Boston Celtics, your post-game low moves are a guide for young players everywhere. You were named one of the greatest players in NBA history among the top 50 and now tonight you deservedly receive

basketball

's highest honor. Kevin, by virtue of the honors committee and the power vested in the board of directors, it is my singular honor to enshrine him as a player in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with all of his rights and privileges.

Long-time friend and Hibbing Minnesota high school coach Gary Addington behind us there's the first lap, yeah, it's the first time I've got hands like candy, what am I doing here? Well, I'll tell you what I'm going to keep this short because of two reasons why Matt wins and falls asleep. every time they go to the video the guy Matt Winnick is sleeping there he wakes up and it hits him in the back of the head when he falls asleep and the second thing is Bill Walton was there for 28 minutes and that's the record and I'm I'm going to go for I'm not going to block what he's going to record, he still holds the record for the longest

speech

ever heard, but you know, I have a lot of people to thank and it's the first time I've taken notes inside since college, so In Actually, I usually just stand up here and say whatever, but I have a lot of people to thank and I'd like to start by thanking Red Auerbach, like a lot of people here, red has such a big influence, you don't know it, you don't know it. you know, not alone.

I mean so many players and you know, I thought about Jesus and you play for the Celtics for 13 years and people say who's trying out for the Hall of Fame. I mean, there's a long list of guys you can start with, you know? with Russell and Casey Jones, Sam Jones Havlicek, you know, go down the list to Larry Bird and everyone between Collins having, I mean, you can go down the list and Joe Joe shutting out, but there's one guy who was there through it all. that was Red Auerbach and I'll tell you what he is, his fingerprints on about 16 championships and we had talked about Wayne, I talked about a red that had the incredible ability to come up to you at times and he was saying words of encouragement and he was doing what he You felt very special and I remember you thought you were telling me.

I know you just lick me, want to get me for less money and everything else, but he was telling me that getting off the bench is a good thing, you know? and he was. right, it was a good thing and I'll tell you a quick story about the red, you know I had, I had, I was having problems, you know the Celtics drafted me and I was overseas and you know my agent says we could play in Italy, sure I said: Look, man, let me tell you something, my chances are to play against Italy or go play for the boss who insults me.

I'm taking, let's go, so I flew back and I got there and I read, I said, I went into the office. and I flew all day from Italy back to Boston and you bastards, come on, sign, contract practice starts right now. Even when I signed, I just signed, gave it my name and said, "Damn, I'm here. I'm getting in the car and driving." from Boston Garden to Hellenic College Don Jamaica Wayne to you people who know Boston now red was weaned in New York he drives on Washington in Boston so man that guy can drive he's talking to me he lit up the cigarette I'm dead scary.

I'm from Hibbing Minnesota Mandersohn friend drives like this he gets in and out I thought I was going to die I'm thinking oh my God my first day I'm dead you know and we get to practice and we get there to practice. our egos Kathy becomes physical, hurry up physically. I would have a physical before you could play, so I run there, dr. sylva, our team doctor has the stethoscope on, he is looking, he is ready to give me the physical exam and dr. Red is coming, Ryan helps, do it quick, so he says you know, the doctor is still listening, he's been playing a lot.

I said yes, he will pull your pants down. He turns his head and coughs. I did it. He said, "Okay, go play." I said, Hey, so the two things I knew that day, if I ever did a bank robbery, the rent would be my helmsman and I didn't have a hernia, so I was a husband as the start of my selfie career and I like it. to think that here is my other presenter. Gary Addington, he was my high school coach and the funny thing is Gary looks younger than me, not really your taste can say: how could you have a high school coach who is younger than you?

I call a boy who is older than me a man, no. By a lot, but he's older than me, he taught me a lot about basketball, a lot about the fundamentals, I just really like to play and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Gary, his family and his beautiful wife Carol, who is out there. and all the nights I used to hang out at Carol's house and have her make me cookies and cakes and everything else was worth it. I grew up a lot and thanks for the egg because they are great friends. I have another coach. that got me started, Terry, a good friend of mine, he was a high school coach, you know, and I played hockey, that's not stupid and now I'm not the smartest guy in the world, you know, but I played hockey for a time.

It's cold in northern Minnesota in the winter it's 30 degrees below zero the first time I walked into the gym it's 70 degrees we're running up and down he's playing with us he's about 29 he's talking trash and that's what I learned to talk rubbish but he would say you can't protect this, hell I was only that tall of course they couldn't protect that and he was, he was killing me and we would have so much fun. I already did this. I will never go out to play. hockey again, so Terry machi, I have a lot to thank you and he's a great guy, you know, and while I'm talking about coaches, I was lucky enough to have my college coaches here, Jim Dutcher, a tremendous coach at the University of Minnesota. great job he kept pushing me he kept pushing me and like all young guys sometimes you don't want to be pushed that hard but you kept pushing me and he made me a much better player and thank you coach and thank you for coming.

The first coach in the league was Bill Fitch and Bill Fitch tried to kill me and almost did it and the only reason he did it was because Casey Jones, my next killer, used to drag me in and say, tower, you're hell. . player, he just doesn't know it yet, the coach, that's my case and I'm telling you who is one of the best human beings you would want to meet in your entire life. Casey Jones is truly one of my Caseys, honestly, he is one. of my favorite people, I don't know, I don't know in this world how they can be so much better than Casey Jones and playing for Casey was a privilege and an honor, and I'll tell you what, when you were hot when you were down. we were out, Casey always had an encouraging word to come and touch you on the back, great horse, we're going again tomorrow, we'll catch him and he was always positive and I think that's why our races were cut short because well .

We play and we're hurt for the guy, it would have been a success, it would have been like the rest of me if he had sat down like he should have been, but we all play hurt by the case, because you know, when Casey Jones asked. You have to get the ball rolling and go out there and put your heart and line up it was easy to do because he's a great person so thank you Casey for everything and Jimmy Rogers was training me and then when it came full circle, The guy who was the most irreverent of us all, Chris Ford, ended up being my last coach.

He was a teammate of mine. We started and he was complaining about Bill Fischer more than anyone about the fact that he's training me, saying Kevin, all those things I did to you. I have to forget you know, oh, you're not like any man, but I tried to forget it as best I could and Dave Gavitt was there towards the end of my career managing the Celtics and I tell you there's no one else who's the best. human beings Dave Gavitt I was kind of a beat up old horse at the time I didn't have much else to give but I tried and a lot of the time it wasn't very pretty and Dave would always come out and put his arm around me.

After every game he said to me: Hey, great friend, I really appreciate your effort and Dave, you don't know what that means. You know it's a tough time when you're old and inside yourself and going downhill. and you know it, but you're still out there fighting and you're still out there thinking maybe you can help your team win games and you're giving everything you've got and it's not working, that's bad business and Patrick. Get healthy before you get back, but the words of encouragement that I received not only during the day but also during the reading and just appreciating the effort, you know, made me feel really good and I think I got our trainer here, Eddy Lacerte and Eddie tried it.

Stopping me more times, man, I know Eddie's here somewhere and Eddie put me on Eddie put on me more patches than most people need and he fought hard on our team, Dr. Arnie Sheller, who you know, not only they gave me medical care, they cared about me and that meant a lot because they really cared about how I was doing and you know how I was playing and it really affected them too and it was great to work with them and I appreciate all the help from Eddie, you and Arnie, the boys. Great, you know, I've said it, I've said it before, I really believe them.

I'm here in the Hall of Fame because of the guys I played with. I really believe it. I mean, it's a team play unit, one thing in that exercise. -bits you never saw me dribble a ball on the floor it was up to me the ball would never go past half court so I knew I had to have guards and I knew I had to have people to play with and I had I had such good teammates that they pushed me and you know they made me the player that I was and they pushed me every step of the way and you know it's funny, could I look like you now and I see Bill Walton and I remember him? when I was a kid show your old bill is when I was a kid I had his picture on my wall you know I'm going to bed I'm going to bed I see things going well but that was before I lost my mind so it hit my son well, he put his hair long with a headband, I said, man, what happened, what happened, John Wooden's bill is long and then he came full circle now that he's a Republican, look at him there, so it's funny because the teammates, teammates have a big influence on you and there are guys like I said, you know, I told this story today, little one, didn't I?

That's not small on tape and it was good to see. He was my first point guard in the NBA. Little one, he stayed at the break. Once he comes down and you know he throws the ball to me. I'm off the button, you know, the free throw line extended and I see a guy cutting off Lane. He throws a bounce pass right in the third row and he runs up behind me and says. Look at the tower when I throw the ball to you, you shoot it so small wherever you are, you started out as a monster man.

It was my last pass. I tried, but I thought if Tiny told me hey, as I called those guys and got there, there was Tiny. Archibald, there was Dave Collins, there was Pete Maravich, man, I mean, I went to practice and I called my friends at home and I said, "it's amazing, I'm playing with." I mean, this is amazing and I said you should see this bird, man, oh man. he said it's not bad and you know I was lucky enough to go there with Robert and I always tell a story about Robert at my first practice.

I was late, damn, he almost killed me passing the sand and we went up and worse now, restraint and bosses against the wall, you know, and he's stretching out the nice fucking Robert Robert. I'm Kevin and he says how are you, how are you, Robert, he says, I'm not going to make it, you know, you have a deep voice. I look myself. What I am not going to make his own, this man is trying to kill us, he said, where do you see this practice? you know oh we're going up and down and I'm looking I'm thinking man this guy's right maybe he doesn't do it and then I told him I said 19 years later I was still doing it I mean he was 40 years old he's still doing it playing, so being able to play with a guy like that, being able to play with a guy like Robert and the I made it, I got a guy like Larry together, you know, we were three different players and all three different people, thank God.

I think three of each of us would have been too much, but together we combined effortlessly to play basketball and that's the point. I remember it and that's why I give so much credit to my teammates, it was so easy when you play it and you play it correctly, there's no effort, this is not, it's not a difficult game to play, it's a game of beauty. a movement game is a game where people read each other and that's the way we played and it was fun and playing with those guys thank you playing with those guys it was never a struggle and you know another guy I like I would like to thank Cedric Maxwell, my old cornbread, him, max.

I came off the bench and there's a good jaw here, so we'll play in Philadelphia. It may exceed your time limit. I'm not sure whatWe were playing in Philadelphia playing on the spectrum. and I leave the bench and now dr. Jay's up to about 17 points with six minutes gone in the first quarter, you know, Max picks up his third foul, he just grabs it. I can see this already starting, so Max is his third felony. I got a guy to come over to the scorer's table. I registered. and Max comes to me and says good luck man he's hot so I'm going home man so he precedes that but 28 halfway and I'm running it in the locker room and I'm a rookie, I missed my first trip to Philadelphia. spectrum I'm thinking you know what I should do to get a fire hose, that's your only chance, take him down, he said, hey, it was for 45, I said like that, maximum, I was looking for more than that, the fire hose.

I said that was my boy Max, but I'm telling you we had a lot of fun together and you know he supported me because when you come off the bench you're always taking someone out and it was usually Max and he was always there. with, you know, a pat on the butt that says, Hey, big fella, go out and get to work, and you know, it was cool playing with guys like that, so you know, my teammates have done something like that. the player that I was and I say Larry Larry guided everyone there has been players that I think have made their teammates reach levels that maybe you don't even know you can reach and I know John and Wayne played with Bill Russell and Bill had that ability to take you and say hello, we're going to win and Larry had the same ability that Larry had that Larry had that ability to say hello friends, I don't know how I don't know where, but I know why we're going to win tonight and We went out and got the job done because you know playing with a guy like that made me feel like a much better player and I hope at some point you can know we've all made each other better, that's what it's all about in a team game.

I know there are some of my members. Some of the people who work in the Celtics front office are here. You know, we have fun when we play there. I would have fun doing it. I all have fun walking down the street at least I try, you know, a lot of guys that worked in the office used to come out and hang out with us after the games and you know, Todd, Steve, Mark and I know. you guys are here somewhere, you know, those guys were fun to work with, you know they were the ticket takers and the promoters, but they were the Celtics, true and true, and the red will tell you those guys lived and died when We won, they were on the brand's side of us, they came running and jumped on you and said, "Hey man, he's back," they really got into it and then it was a great time to play basketball and with the Celtics in that moment, you know, as a kid growing up in northern Minnesota I was very lucky I was lucky to have a mother and a father who really cared about me and my mother is here Josephine she is out there and my father passed away shortly after that I came back to Minnesota, but I would have been Very proud tonight, my dad was a man who, thank you, my dad, just worked hard, you know, I mean worked in the mines, worked for US Steel for 42 years and worked hard and worked hard to take care of his family and you.

I know he didn't work hard for people who come up to him and tell him he did a good job, give him a pat on the back, he worked hard for us and he was, he was as good as anyone could have been, he was a special man. and dad. My older brother, John, is 16 months older than me and he's there and he used to beat me up and all I want to do is be with him, so I'll be on my bike riding behind him, you know? then he would just hit me and they would hit me, he and his friends were a couple years older than me, the next day I was riding my bike, they would hit me again and one thing I learned to overcome was perseverance and but being with John and trying Catching up and keeping up with him and his friends really made me competitive and I think that's what I get from a lot of my competitors, other than my mom, my dad was pretty chill. boy in the back, not my mom, on the other hand, man, she, her, chasing you around the house with that frying pan and that frying pan that had the cord on the pan, she would be on your case if she caught you, believe me, it hurt you so much and then. maybe that's why maybe that's why I end up on good foot running through that little house we had and then my sisters Patty and Trisha there and they're there, they're great, you know?

And having an older brother, you know, does all that. I know I was pretty successful and did a lot of things, he was always supportive and great and my mom and dad came to a lot of games at the University of Minnesota. My dad you still have to work in the morning. They drive there. It's about a three and a half hour drive down from Hibbing and my sisters were there alone and my mom and dad would drive there and then drive back every night after the games and my dad would come home and my mom would have to drive with dad. sleep a little and get home at 3:30 or 4:00 in the morning, then go to work the next morning and get up very early and get the job and I know my The sisters were there cheering me on and thank you for everything that I got, they also have many friends here.

I have some friends that made playing basketball with plastic a lot harder because those guys used to meet me on the road and tell me. what the next morning they will shoot arathi put on your best game face and act like you have bright eyes and a bushy tail, but those guys over there tried really hard, our games were a great event for those guys and I think they Me They said you guys are killing me, you're going to shorten my career, but all those guys came in and they're great and I seemed like one of the sweetest shot players that ever lived, Scotty Webmin, and Scotty was, uh, Scott, he was a guy who could.

Taking it down, I used to do some shooting exhibitions in practice, that was just phenomenal and I guess to close this, first of all, I thank everyone who came, a lot of people from Hibbing, a lot of people came from another. way to come here and you know, it really means a lot to me to have you here, it just makes this day so complete to be able to share it if I was on my knees not having this award. I would feel terrible to share with anyone, but I have literally tons of people to share this with, people who mean a lot to me and I've never done it publicly.

I think I should have thanked my wife Lynne for the one we are now married to. 17 years and she put up with me for seventeen, but more than those two, and you know, she put up with the ups and downs and everything else in between and thank you Lenny for everything and thank you for being there all the time and me. I love you and I think my greatest achievement in my life is those five children, come here you five children, come here. Are you okay here? These are some little familiar friends, Tommy, then his brothers Mikey and then there's Joey and Tristan, the oldest. so sasha is my nine year old daughter, this right here means more to me than a championship ring, anything else in the world, these are my little boys, girls and boys, and you know, all i can say, all the What I can say is that I would ask my wife to come up, but she didn't come up, then she would get mad at me and the whole thing, so I'm going to make her sit there, why did you embarrass me like that?

What I really want to say is just thank you so much, thank you for the journey that you know about being inducted into the Hall of Fame, thank you, thank you, okay, thank you to all my teammates, all my coaches, all the people who made me This day was so special for me. and as you can see, I know I'm truly lucky to have played 13 years for the Boston Celtics. Now I run a team, the only thing that scares me about running a team, see how dark Wayne's hair was? We started managing that team. man, I'm going to say Gregor, for sure, there's no doubt about it and they have to have these five kids and a beautiful wife and friends who actually care about making it to the Hall of Fame and being enshrined in a place 90 miles away. . where I played and played for the best organization in NBA history led by Red Auerbach, what more can I say?

I have truly been blessed, thank you very much.