ONE FOR THE AGES

Michael Jordan Enters Hall of Fame

Delivers emotional acceptance speech at ceremony.

Having defined the sport for a generation, Michael Jordan finally entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, with an emotional—and surprisingly funny—speech on Friday. Crying as he first took the stage, Jordan jumped between thanking his supporters and opponents alike while taking shots at everyone from the coach who famously left him off the high-school varsity team (and who was in attendance) to diminutive ex-Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy, who he called "the little guy." Jordan balked at his consensus status as the greatest player in the game's history. "When people say that, I cringe a little bit," Jordan said. "I never played against Jerry West. I never played against Elgin Baylor. I never played against Wilt Chamberlain."