Worthy and Parish Inducted Into Hall

Entering the Hall of Fame together didn’t end the rivalry between Robert Parish and James Worthy, stars of the 1980s showdowns between the Boston Celtics and Lakers.

“Robert,” Worthy said Friday night, “I think I still owe you a couple of elbows.”

Parish, known for his stoic on-court demeanor, smiled.

Parish and Worthy joined five other new members at Springfield, Mass., for the induction ceremony -- Meadowlark Lemon of the Harlem Globetrotters; NBA pioneer Earl Lloyd; longtime Louisiana Tech women’s coach Leon Barmore; Italian player Dino Meneghin; and the late Chick Hearn, who broadcast 3,338 consecutive Laker games.

Worthy said he was a reluctant basketball player.

“I just hated the sport” as a youngster, he said. But he played so he could get a scholarship and help his parents, who were supporting his two older brothers in college. “That was the only reason I wanted to play basketball,” Worthy said.

Hearn watched all the Celtic-Laker matchups involving Parish and Worthy.

“He would have loved to have been here, but probably he’s up there watching us,” said Marge Hearn, his widow.

Hearn didn’t miss a game from Nov. 21, 1965, through Dec. 16, 2001, and died on Aug. 5, 2002, at age 85. Hearn, who gave Worthy the nickname “Big Game James,” left an indelible mark on the game, adding to the sport’s vocabulary.

Worthy, 44, entered the NBA in 1982 out of North Carolina and played on three championship teams with the Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988. He retired after the 1993-94 season, his 12th with the Lakers, with a 17.6-point average.

Worthy faced Parish in three NBA Finals.

“It’s appropriate,” Worthy said of their inductions together. “It was a tremendous era, and we had some great battles.”

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Charlotte Bobcat owner Robert Johnson ended his summer-long pursuit of Michael Jordan, clearing the way for Ed Tapscott to begin building the NBA’s newest expansion team.

Tapscott -- Johnson’s first hire -- will begin interviewing general manager candidates for the team that will start play in the 2004-05 season.

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France, led by Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, began its quest for its first European basketball title by defeating Bosnia-Herzegovina, 98-76, as two of the favorites lost opening games at Lulea, Sweden. Parker scored 11 points and two other NBA players, former UCLA standout Jerome Moiso (15 points) of Toronto and Tariq Abdul-Wahad (seven points) of Dallas, also contributed.

The biggest upset came when Russia defeated defending world champion Serbia and Montenegro, 95-80, behind Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko’s 29 points.

In other games, Slovenia upset Italy, 77-67, behind 21 points by Bostjan Nachbar of the Houston Rockets; Spain defeated Sweden, 99-52, led by Memphis Grizzly center Pau Gasol’s 25 points; and Turkey defeated Ukraine, 77-69, behind 21 points by Mehmet Okur of the Detroit Pistons.

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The Denver Nuggets signed 7-foot, forward-center Francisco Elson of the Netherlands to a multiyear contract.... Basketball Hall of Famer Tom Gola, 70, was released from a Philadelphia hospital and transferred to a rehabilitation center to recover from a head injury suffered in a fall in July.