Avery County native Tommy Burleson and his teammates on the 1972 United States Olympic Men’s Basketball Team have been nominated for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the Direct-Elect Category by the Hall’s Veterans Committee, the organization has announced.
It’s the first time this team has been nominated for the Hall of Fame.
The finalists for the Class of 2022 Hall of Fame enshrinement will be announced during the National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star weekend on February 18-20 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Burleson, a member of the silver medal-winning United States team 50 years ago as a 7-foot, 2-inch center, played in one of the most controversial games in Olympics history.