The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's induction ceremony for the Class of 2010 has been moved from mid-September to Aug. 13, ESPN is reporting.
The switch in dates was likely made to accommodate members of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team -- the original "Dream Team."
Players on the team that captured a gold medal in Barcelona included Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and two members of the Utah Jazz, John Stockton and Karl Malone. They would be inducted as part of the Dream Team.
According to ESPN, the switch in dates was made partly to avoid a conflict with the 2010 World Championships, which will be held Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Istanbul. USA Basketball hopes to fly its current team to Springfield, Mass., to be the Dream Team's official presenter.
Stockton, the NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in September.
Malone played one year longer than Stockton, so he was not eligible for individual induction until this year. The No. 2 scorer in NBA history and two-time MVP is considered a lock to be a first-ballot inductee.
Assuming Malone is elected, this will be the third straight year the Jazz have had someone enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Adrian Dantley was inducted in 2008, coach Jerry Sloan joined Stockton last year, and Malone will almost certainly be part of the Class of 2010.
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