It has been almost 20 years since Bernard King retired from the NBA, but he moved one step closer to the ultimate honor about five minutes ago: He was selected as a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame. King only played for a little more than four seasons but was amazing while he was here, averaging 32.9 points for the 1984-85 Knicks, a team that was just terrible enough to get to draft Patrick Ewing the next season. Knee injuries derailed his career, but Knicks fans have always loved him, and now he’s closer to the Hall. (Other finalists include Rick Pitino, Mitch Richmond, Gary Payton, Tim Hardaway and Jerry Tarkanian.) The inductees will officially be announced in April. Maybe, if he gets in, it’ll get the Knicks to finally retire his number.
