Springfield, MA (My Sportsbook) - Centers Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing, forever linked from battles in college and the NBA, as well as five-time NBA champion coach Pat Riley, were inducted into the Naismith Memorial National Basketball Hall of Fame Friday.

Former NBA star Adrian Dantley, Dick Vitale, best known as an ESPN analyst, Detroit Pistons owner Bill Davidson and Immaculata University women's coach Cathy Rush were also inducted.

Olajuwon, Ewing and Riley were elected in their first year of consideration, while Dantley, Davidson, Rush and Vitale had been named finalists in prior years.

Olajuwon burst onto the basketball scene at the University of Houston, where he led the Cougars to three straight Final Four appearances from 1982-84. He continued his success at the pro level in the same town with the Houston Rockets, winning back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and '95.

"My focus was not to be an All-Star or a Hall of Famer," said Olajuwon. "My role for the team was to hold the middle, control the middle and help the team win, then the credit will come later. I've been very fortunate to play on great teams."

A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Olajuwon still holds the NBA record for blocked shots with 3,830 and is the only player to record more than 3,000 blocked shots and 2,000 steals in a career. He was also a five-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team, a six-time All-NBA First Team performer and the 1994 NBA MVP. He recorded 26,946 points and 13,748 rebounds in 18 NBA seasons, good for ninth and 14th respectively on the all-time NBA leader board.

Ewing took Georgetown to three Final Fours in his four collegiate seasons from 1982-85, and denied Olajuwon an NCAA title in the 1984 championship game. He was the 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year with the New York Knicks, won Olympic gold medals in 1984 and '92, and earned 11 All-Star Game nods.

"Growing up, coming from Jamaica, moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and taking field trips to the museum, you never really thought that one day I would be enshrined in here," said Ewing. "People for generations will be coming in and see the things not only myself, but all these great people that are with me have accomplished. This is truly a dream come true."

A member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary Team, Ewing scored 24,815 points during his 17-year NBA career to go along with 11,607 rebounds. He was unable to secure an NBA title, however, as he and the Knicks lost to Olajuwon and the Rockets in 1994 NBA Finals and to the San Antonio Spurs in the 1999 Finals.

"We've had a love-hate relationship throughout the years," Ewing said of the Knicks fans. "I think that you showed me you respected what I brought to the table, every time I see you, no matter where I am. You appreciated that I worked and gave it 110 percent."

Riley, meanwhile, won five NBA crowns as a head coach -- four with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat. A three-time NBA Coach of the Year, he is still active as president of the Heat and currently ranks fourth on the all-time NBA wins list behind Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson and Larry Brown.

Dantley was a finalist for the seventh time. He was a two-time All-America at Notre Dame and had a stellar 15-year NBA career with the Buffalo Braves, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks. A six-time NBA All-Star, his 23,177 career points still ranks 23rd all-time in league annals.

Vitale, previously a finalist in 2004 and '06, is one of college basketball's great voices. He has been the top analyst for ESPN since its inception in 1979 and was a successful coach on the high school, college and pro levels.

Davidson, has been an owner of the Detroit Pistons since 1974 and the WNBA's Detroit Shock since 1998. The Detroit native has served as Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors and his Pistons have won three NBA crowns.

Rush, previously a finalist five times, led Immaculata University to three consecutive AIAW national championships from 1972 to 1974. Rush propelled Immaculata, and women's basketball, into the national spotlight when the Mighty Macs appeared on national television in 1975, a first for women's basketball. She won 149 games and lost only 15 in just seven seasons, good for a .908 winning percentage.