Basketball Hall of Fame makes a disgrace of itself

TheEnforcer · 03-18-2003

http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0318/1525548.html

Basketball Hall of Fame asks for LeBron jersey

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ESPN.com news services

Months away from receiving his high school diploma, LeBron James already is headed for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

At least, his gear is.

The Hall of Fame has asked James, a senior at Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary, to donate one of his game-worn jerseys in recognition of what has been an outstanding, unprecedented, highly scrutinized prep career.

Matt Zeysing, an assistant curator of the hall, told the Akron Beacon Journal on Monday that it would be receiving a No. 23 St. Vincent-St. Mary jersey, a pair of shorts and tennis shoes for a display that might be showcased by mid-April.

"We would have been dropping the ball had we not asked for it," Zeysing said. "LeBron James has been the biggest story of the basketball season and we wanted to be a small part of that ... He has taken high school basketball to a whole other level."

The jersey and shorts will be ones James, the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, wore during his junior season, Irish coach Dru Joyce II told the newspaper.

"No disrespect to some of the other player of the year awards that 'Bron is receiving, but to me this is the highest honor to this point," Joyce said. "When you play a sport, one of your greatest dreams is to be a part of that hall of fame.

"This is something, that no matter what else happens, he can say he was in the hall of fame."

While the hall houses memorabilia and artifacts from the professional, college and high school ranks, James' high school jersey would become one of the few displayed in the Springfield, Mass., museum so soon after the conclusion of his prep career.

James and St. Vincent-St. Mary play in the state semifinals Friday against Canton South.

03-18-2003	#1
TheEnforcer Scored VIP to Anton's Piss Tank Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 8,781	http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0318/1525548.html Basketball Hall of Fame asks for LeBron jersey -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com news services Months away from receiving his high school diploma, LeBron James already is headed for the Basketball Hall of Fame. At least, his gear is. The Hall of Fame has asked James, a senior at Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary, to donate one of his game-worn jerseys in recognition of what has been an outstanding, unprecedented, highly scrutinized prep career. Matt Zeysing, an assistant curator of the hall, told the Akron Beacon Journal on Monday that it would be receiving a No. 23 St. Vincent-St. Mary jersey, a pair of shorts and tennis shoes for a display that might be showcased by mid-April. "We would have been dropping the ball had we not asked for it," Zeysing said. "LeBron James has been the biggest story of the basketball season and we wanted to be a small part of that ... He has taken high school basketball to a whole other level." The jersey and shorts will be ones James, the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, wore during his junior season, Irish coach Dru Joyce II told the newspaper. "No disrespect to some of the other player of the year awards that 'Bron is receiving, but to me this is the highest honor to this point," Joyce said. "When you play a sport, one of your greatest dreams is to be a part of that hall of fame. "This is something, that no matter what else happens, he can say he was in the hall of fame." While the hall houses memorabilia and artifacts from the professional, college and high school ranks, James' high school jersey would become one of the few displayed in the Springfield, Mass., museum so soon after the conclusion of his prep career. James and St. Vincent-St. Mary play in the state semifinals Friday against Canton South.