And I will thank a couple of people that you guys probably wouldn，t even think I will thank. Isaiah Thomas， Magic Johnson and George Gervin. They are the so-called freezing-out in my rookie season. I wouldn，t remember you guys gave me the motivation to say， you know what？ Evidently I haven，t proved enough to these guys. I，ve got to prove these guys that I deserve what I got at this level. No matter what people have said， if it is rumor， I never took it is truth. But you guys never froze me up， because I was yet happy to be there no matter how you look at it. From that point forward， I wanted to prove to you， Magic， Larry， Gorge and everybody that I deserve to be on this level as much as anyone else. And hopefully over the whole period of career I have done that， without a doubt. Even in the Detroit， we，ve done that.
Pat Riley， you and I go way back. I still remember in Pat Riley， in Pat Riley. You slid a note on the leak of my door， although you had to move， you didn，t move. You slid the note， saying， “I enjoyed the competition， congratulation， but we will meet again. ” And I take the heart in that， because I think in all I can see you are competitive and even from a coach standing point. You challenge me every time I play the Nicks， the Heats， I don，t think you are with the Lakers， but every time I play against you， you have “Jordan Stoppers” on your team， you have John Starks who I love. You even had my friend Oakley says， “We can，t go to the lunch， we can，t go to the dinner together， because this guy hit me harder than anybody else in the league.” He was my best friend.
Patrick Erving and I are the same age. We came up at the same time. But we can，t go to the lunch together. Why is this an issue？ You think I play against Patrick any different than I play anybody else？ No， no. They had your learned guy became the Nicks， coach after you， Jeff Van Gundy. He said I can，t be player fairly and I may dead on the basketball court. Where is it come from？ I just happen to be a friendly guy. I get along with everybody， but at the same time when the light comes on， I am more competitive than anybody. So you guys， I must say thank you for giving me the motivation that I desperately needed.
Phil Jackson is， to me， is a professional Dean Smith. He challenged me mentally， not just physically. You know， he understood the game， along with Tex Wenter. They taught me a lot about the basketball game. Tex being the specialist， I can never please Tex. And I love Tex. Tex is not here. And I know he is here in spirit. I can remember a game coming after the basketball court； we were down five to ten points. And I go off about 25 points， we came back to win the game. As we walked out the floor and Tex looked me and said， “you know， there is no I， in team.” I said， “there is not I， in team， but there is I， in win.” I think he got my message. I will do anything to win. You know， that means we play team format to win. That means I will do what I have to do. No matter how you look at it. Then you had all your media message. You are not so good as Magic Johnson， you are not so good as Larry Bird. You are good， but you are not so good as those guys. I have to listen to all this. And that put so much wood on that fire. It kept me each everyday trying to get better as a basketball player. I am not saying they were wrong. I may look at them from a different perspective. But at the same time as a basketball player， I am trying to become the best I can. You know， for someone like me who achieve a lot in this kind of career， you look for any kind of messages that people may say or do to get you motivated to play the game basketball to the highest level. Because that，s what I feel when I assail at my best.
When I first met Bryon Russell， John and Karl， I was in Chicago in 1994. I was working out for baseball and they all came down for workout and shooting around. I came over and say “Hello”， and at this time I had no thoughts of coming back and playing the game of basketball. Bryon Russell came over to me and said “Why did you quit？ Why did you quit？ You know I could guard you， if I ever see you in a pair of shorts”. Do you remember？ John. When I did decide to come back in 1995 and we played Utah in 96， I，m at the center circle and Bryon Russell is standing next to me. I said， “You remember the conversation you made in 1994 about I think I can guard you， I can shut you down， I would love to play against you？” Well， you are about to get your chance， and believe me ever since that day he got his chance， I don，t know how succeed he was. I think he got his chance. From this day forward， if he ever say me in shorts， I would come at him.
I know you guys got to go. I know I，ve been up here a lot longer than I told my friends I gonna up here， I cried， I was supposed to get up ， said “Thank you” and walked off and I am not able to do that. So I appreciate it. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. As I close， the game basketball has been everything to me， my refuge， a place I am always gone when I need to find comfort and peace. It，s been a source of intense pain and a source of most intense feelings of joy and satisfaction. The one that no one of you can imagine. It，s been a relationship of number of intersection. It gave me the great expects and love for the game. It provided me with a platform and shared my passions with millions in the way I neither expected nor could imagine in my career. I hope it，s given millions of people touch and optimism to achieve their goals through hard work， perspiration and positive attitude. Although I am recognized with this honor of being in the Hall of Fame， I don，t look this moment as final relationship between me and the basketball. It simply a continuation of something I started a long time ago. One day， you may look up a senior player at a game of 50. Oh， no. Don，t laugh. Don，t laugh. Never say never， because limits， like fear， are often just an illusion.
Thank you very much！
谢谢！谢谢！
我告诉过我的朋友，我会出现在领奖台上说完“谢谢”就转身离开。但是，我不能。我需要感谢很多人。我还要感谢今天的直播，你们不会只看到我，还会有许多熟悉的面孔。在过去的四周里，我收到了很多的问题。他们问：“你为什么会选择戴维·托马斯？”我知道其中的原因，戴维也知道，可能你们都不知道。我从小在北卡罗来纳州长大，当我11岁的时候，大概是1974年，戴维夺得了NBA总冠军。我是不支持北卡的，但是我被戴维·托马斯所折服，不仅仅是因为篮球本身，而是因为他在其中表现出的态度与意志。我们都经历了许多的考验与磨难，他做到了，这深深地激励了我。 当我邀请他做我的主持人的时候，我知道我紧张透了，但是他非常高兴地答应了。我内心深处一直是北卡的成员，他们都知道我是一名真正属于北卡的人。
