Many years of waiting and hard work will pay off Friday night when the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens (1948-82) are inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Dozens of former Flying Queens and their families, plus other representatives of Wayland and the Flying Queens, are in Springfield, Mass., for Friday evening's induction as well as events leading up to the ceremony.
The Flying Queens will be presented for induction by Lusia Harris Stewart (1992 HOF inductee) and Nancy Lieberman (1996 HOF inductee), two pioneers of women's basketball.
NBA TV (available on certain cable TV providers and the Internet at
www.nba.com/nbatv) will exclusively televise the 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, Sept. 6. The network's coverage will begin with the 2019 Hall of Fame Red Carpet Show at 5:30 p.m.
Also, NBA TV will provide live coverage of the 2019 Hall of Fame Family Reunion and Awards Show at 6:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday, Sept. 5). The annual event recognizes the recipients of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, the Curt Gowdy Media Award and the Mannie Jackson – Basketball's Human Spirit Award.
Additional digital coverage will include profiles on this year's inductees, on-demand video of acceptance speeches, and live streaming video of the Class of 2019 Hall of Fame Press Conference and Jacket Presentation on Thursday, Sept. 5, at noon. Special behind-the-scenes content will be captured on social media through NBA TV's official social handles.
This year's induction class is being celebrated throughout the week via dedicated programming on NBA TV, including some of their top career moments.
Over the past several days, the Plainview Herald published a series of articles, written by Nathan Geise, on the Flying Queens. Titled "Flying to the Hall," the articles are available here.
Changing The Game
Becoming Great
Igniting Change
Not Forgotten
2019 Inductees and Presenters
Al Attles, presented by Rick Barry ('87)
Carl Braun, presented by David Stern ('14)
Chuck Cooper, presented by Bill Russell ('75), Elgin Baylor ('77), Tom Heinsohn ('86), Julius Erving ('93), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ('95), Larry Bird ('98), Isiah Thomas ('00), Dominique Wilkins ('06), Mannie Jackson ('17) and Ray Allen ('18)
Vlade Divac, presented by Jerry West ('80)
Bill Fitch, presented by Larry Bird ('98)
Bobby Jones, presented by Billy Cunningham ('86) and David Thompson ('96)
Sidney Moncrief, presented by Bob Lanier ('92) and Don Nelson ('12)
Jack Sikma, presented by Lenny Wilkens ('89), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ('95) and Wayne Embry ('99)
Tennessee A&I, presented by Jerry West ('80)
Wayland Baptist, presented by Lusia Harris Stewart ('92), and Nancy Lieberman ('96)Â
Teresa Weatherspoon, presented by Cynthia Cooper ('10), Sheryl Swoopes ('16) and Tina Thompson ('18)
Paul Westphal, presented by Elgin Baylor ('77) and Charles Barkley ('06)
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