Basketball Hall of Fame presenters announced

 AP Photo, file

In just a few short days the most star studded Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will take place.

Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Jerry Sloan, David Robinson, and C. Vivian Stringer will take their places in the Basketball Hall of Fame this Friday in Springfield, Massachusetts.

As a rule, the incoming class for the Hall of Fame has to select a previous inductee to present them into the Hall. A couple of the choices are huge head scratchers.

Presenting Michael Jordan will be Hall of Fame player David Thompson.

Presenting John Stockton will be Hall of Fame player Isiah Thomas.

Presenting Coach Jerry Sloan will be Hall of Fame player Charles Barkley.

Presenting David Robinson will be Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown and Hall of Fame player George Gervin.

Presenting Coach C. Vivian Stringer will be Hall of Fame Coach John Chaney.

I am interested to know exactly what relationship Charles Barkley has with Jerry Sloan. Barkley told ESPN,"Sloan's invitation is one of the greatest compliments of my life." Isiah Thomas and John Stockton were once fierce rivals on the court, the choice of Thomas by Stockton is a surprising one.

Jordan choosing David Thompson is also puzzling as both men played for rival colleges in the state of North Carolina.

“I got a call from the Hall of Fame and they asked me if I was willing to be a presenter for someone,” Thompson told Yahoo! Sports. “I said, ‘Yeah.’ I didn’t know who it was. … They said Michael Jordan. I was like, ‘Wow.’ He told them that he was a big fan of mine and I was the one that really inspired him. Being that there was so many North Carolina people he could’ve chose, I was honored."

The Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be shown Friday, September 11, 2009 at 6:30pm EST on ESPN.

For more info: http://www.hoophall.com/