Tom "Satch" Sanders' Hall of Fame induction is well deserved. Not only was he a member of eight NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics, Satch did quite a bit to further the NBA's other initiatives following his playing career.
Satch Sanders Inducted Into Hall Of Fame For Contributions, Eight NBA Titles With Celtics
Sanders will inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a Contributor by the Veteran’s Committee, though it’s quite possible that his contributions as a defensive stopper on eight NBA title teams from 1961 to 1969 probably played a role in that as well.
Sanders averaged 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds before retiring in 1973 after playing all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Celtics. His eight championships trail only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones for the most all-time in the NBA.
Following Sanders’ playing career, he’d be named head coach at Harvard as well as a short stint with the Celtics before taking on a bigger role in the NBA offices. Sanders is credited with developing the Rookie Transition Program and was a founder of the player programs for the NBA, essentially NBA Cares these days, as he did what he could to help the NBA’s image as well as the paths for those following in his footsteps as a player.
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