National Basketball Association

Report: King to miss out on Hall of Fame

Published Mar. 29, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

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After being nominated for the fifth time, former Nets and Knicks legend Bernard King will once again miss out on being inducted into the Hall of Fame next week, a league source told the New York Post.

"It's fair to say I'm quite disappointed," King told the Post on Thursday, after being informed of his status Wednesday night.

"I was not selected this year with the 2012 class. Obviously, I'm honored to be a finalist. I think it would be a tremendous honor for my family if I'm inducted. It would be wonderful.

"My professional career and what I did in college and even high school merits selection and hopefully one day I'll have the opportunity to be [inducted]."

King, 55, began his playing career with the Nets from 1977 to 1979 and returned to New Jersey in 1993.

The Brooklyn native played with the Knicks from 1982-86. He averaged 22.5 points per game over his career, including a career-high 32.9 for the Knicks in the 1984-85 season.

The Hall of Fame will formally announce its inductees Monday.

The report that King would miss out again came a day after Don Nelson, the winningest coach in NBA history, said he would be among those inducted this year.

Nelson, 71, garnered 1,335 victories over 31 seasons as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.

"Very seldom do people get to do something they love to do their whole life," Nelson told San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday. "But I'm a lucky guy to stay in the business as long as I did. This is just frosting on the cake. It doesn't get any better than going into the Hall of Fame."

The other finalists in the running to make this year's Hall of Fame class are Reggie Miller, Rick Pitino, Katrina McClain, Maurice Cheeks, Bill Fitch, Dick Motta, Hank Nichols, Jamaal Wilkes, Ralph Sampson and the All-American Red Heads, the first women's professional basketball team.