1990s Star Michael Finley Has Presence At Hall of Fame Ceremonies

Michael Finley, who played for the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks, was praised by Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki during their Hall of Fame speeches.

Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki formed a friendship with Michael Finley when they were Dallas Mavericks teammates from 1998-2004.

Nowitzki saw Finley as a big brother who taught professionalism. It was so impactful that Nowitzki highlighted Finley in his Hall of Fame speech on Saturday Night.

“The next guy I learned professionalism from is Michael Finley,” Nowitzki said. “You were a true Pro on and off the floor. You let me and Steve [Nash] grow alongside you, and we will always be grateful, and I’m still sad you went to the Spurs in 06. We've learned so much from you, and you became my big brother, and you'll always be there for me when I need you, so thank you, my friend.”

Another of Finley’s former teammates, Tony Parker, also praised the two-time All-Star during his speech.

“Michael Finley was one of my favorite teammates in 2006,” Parker said; “He came to the Spurs to win a championship because that’s what you do when you come to the Spurs, you want to win a championship.”

Finley was a solid player during the mid to late 1990s for the Phoenix Suns and Mavericks. He was a two-time All-Star in Dallas before taking on a mentor role with younger players. 

After a 14-year career that included a championship in 2007, Finley decided to go into management. He is now the vice president of basketball operations for the Mavs, a long way from his days as a high-flying small forward in the ‘90s..

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Landon Buford is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at landon.buford@att.net.