At this time of the year, the NBA is busy handing out their year-end awards. While no one on the Lakers are likely to receive an award this season, there are some current and former members of the organization set to be honored.
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Brian Shaw, Don Ford, Bill Bertka, and Jamaal Wilkes will be among the 21 inductees of the inaugural Santa Barbara Basketball Court of Champions in what is surely a great honor for all four men, all of whom hail from the Santa Barbara area.
The Santa Barbara Basketball Court of Champions will hold their inaugural event on June 1 to honor individuals from the Santa Barbara community that made significant contributions to basketball.
Read the press release below:
EL SEGUNDO – Bill Bertka, Don Ford, Brian Shaw and Jamaal Wilkes are among 21 individuals who have been selected as inaugural inductees into the Santa Barbara Basketball Court of Champions. The Court of Champions has been established to recognize and honor individuals from the Santa Barbara community who have succeeded and/or made significant contributions to the game of basketball.
Bertka is currently in his 33rd consecutive season with the Lakers and his 11th in his current capacity of Special Assistant to the GM/Basketball Consultant. First employed by the Lakers in 1968, Bertka served as a scout, assistant coach and director of player personnel until 1974. Bertka rejoined the Lakers in 1981 as an assistant coach and for the next 20 years was a key member on the staffs of Pat Riley, Mike Dunleavy, Randy Pfund, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Del Harris, Kurt Rambis and Phil Jackson.
Ford was drafted by the Lakers in the sixth round of the 1975 NBA Draft and spent four and-a-half seasons in Los Angeles before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his time with the Lakers, Ford averaged 7.1 points and 3.8 rebounds over 368 games.
Shaw began his four-year Laker career in the 1999-00 season, helping Los Angeles to the first of three consecutive NBA Championships. Upon retirement in 2003, Shaw was a scout for the Lakers for one year before moving to the bench as an assistant coach for seven seasons between 2004-05 and 2010-11.
Wilkes played eight of his 12 NBA seasons for the Lakers, winning NBA Championships in 1980, 1982 and 1985 while garnering All-Star recognition two times in 1980 and 1982. One of the most prolific scorers of his time, he averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists while wearing the purple and gold.
The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on June 1, 2014.
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