SPRINGFIELD, Mass.

– Considering how point guard-heavy this Class of 2018 was, it

only made sense that all sorts of things were passed out at the Naismith Memorial Hall
of Fame’s enshrinement ceremony Friday.

Things like accolades. Compliments. Friendly jabs. Funny anecdotes. Bits of wisdom.
And a whole lot of thank yous.

Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Maurice Cheeks were the actual career playmakers
among the NBA stars and representatives of amateur, international and women’s
games who were officially inducted in a show staged at Symphony Hall and broadcast
on NBA TV. But as so often happens on a basketball court, generosity becomes
contagious.

It could be argued all the honorees in attendance became point guards, point forwards,
point coaches or point executives, dishing back to those who had helped them along the
way.

Nash, notably, was at his two-time MVP best. He wrapped up his speech in the
gorgeous setting before an audience of hoops royalty, sharing a laundry list of tips to
kids who be growing up playing hockey and soccer, in some unlikely basketball outpost
like Victoria, British Columbia.

“Find something you love to do” Nash said, launching into his staccato advice. “Do it
every day. Be obsessed – balance will come later. Use your imagination. Put pen to
paper. Declare your intentions. Set small goals. Knock them off, set more goals. Gain
momentum. Build confidence. Form a deep belief. Outwork people.

“Play the long game – you don’t have to be the chosen one. The secret is to build a
resolve and spirit, to enjoy the plateaus in the times when it feels like you’re not
improving and you question why you’re doing this. If you’re patient, the plateaus will
become springboards.

“Finally, never stop striving, reaching for your goals until you get there. But the truth is,
even when you get there – even when you get here, standing on this stage – after
striving, fighting, pushing yourself to the limit every day, that you’ll miss and you’ll long
for. You’ll never be more alive than when you give something everything you have.”

Given Nash’s underdog background and underwhelming physical stature – he cracked

a few jokes at his own expense – the ideas he imparted sounded as applicable to any
endeavor a young (or frankly an old) NBA fan might pursue.

Kidd started his speech by crediting Gary Payton – the fellow Hall of Famer, friend and
big brother growing up in the Bay Area and All-Star point guard he’d chosen as his
presenter – for harshly but properly challenging him when the game seemed to come
too easily in their youth.
Rod Thorn, another 2018 inductee who was running the New Jersey Nets when Kidd
led them to consecutive Finals in 2002 and 2003, distilled the point guard’s special skill.
“From the start,” Thorn said, “he made everybody want to run, everybody want to play,
because they would get the basketball.”

There were lessons to be learned in Ray Allen’s story as well. Raised in a military
family, he became a poster guy for preparation and diligence across 10 All-Star
appearances and four franchises. Allen boiled his career down to a stark admission.