Imagine winning the NBA Coach of the Year award, an NBA championship, and a whopping 991 wins, including playoff games, and still not enough for the Hall of Fame. That’s the story of the former coach Dick Motta, who has been nominated for the past 16 years. This year, the 94-year-old was a finalist for the third time, the first since 2012. Yet, the former Dallas Mavericks head coach is unfazed by the result.

“When they called me (in 2012) to tell me I hadn’t made it, I didn’t get bitter. At all,” Motta spoke with Jason Quick of The Athletic. “I developed the basic attitude of: ‘Why should some (stranger) out there judge me?’ I object to subjective judgments.” Even while doing the interview, Dick Motta was a little hesitant. He is opposed to the idea that campaigns for an honor.

“It’s beneath one’s dignity,” Motta said. “I don’t need to, and I don’t want to pound my chest. I know what I did.”

Motta has led the Chicago Bulls, Washington Bullets, and Dallas Mavericks to 50-plus-win seasons and 14 NBA playoff appearances. For the Bulls’ six straight postseason campaigns (1969-1975), 4 straight for the Washington Bullets (1976-1980), and 4 straight for the Dallas Mavericks (1983-1987). He is among the top 15 NBA coaches by all-time wins, yet only 2 coaches remain to be inducted.

With Doc Rivers’ induction this year, Dick Motta and the current Pacers head coach, Rick Carlisle, aren’t in the Hall of Fame. In fact, Hall of Famer Bill Fitch, who has a lower winning percentage than Motta, was already inducted in 2019. Again, this is not a case of one over the other, but it’s about the induction that Motta deserves.

Because the criteria for induction are still unclear, five coaches in the Hall have more wins than Motta but no NBA titles. So, if NBA titles are considered or if wins are considered in both scenarios, Dick Motta’s name should have been in the Hall of Fame. It’s not just about his impact on the hardwood. The coaching tree that produced great minds also defined his legacy.

Mitch Kupchak, Bob Weiss, Danny Ainge, Scott Brooks, and Jason Kidd are some of the distinguished names. In fact, Jerry Sloan and Rick Adelman, who have 2263 regular-season wins combined, are in the top 10 in NBA history.

Steve Kerr had previously campaigned for Dick Motta

A week ago, when the Warriors faced the Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State head coach made his opinion crystal clear on why Dick Motta deserves a place in the HoF. Kerr was candid enough to call Motta one of the guys who “just was a lifer and had been around for the league and knew the league, and everybody knew him.”

“(943 wins) I mean, that’s a whole lot of winning. And so I think the contributions that someone makes with a lifetime of contributions and commitment, that negates to me the idea that you have to win a bunch of championships to be in the Hall of Fame. I think we should recognize the people who helped build this league and who did it through a long and successful career in coaching. So I think that’s why Coach Motta would deserve it.”

Despite Steve Kerr’s positive words, the pleas seemed to go unheard by the Hall of Fame decision committee. As Dick Motta had already stated, his legacy is not defined by accolades. One prime example is him winning his first NBA championship after the Bullets won Game 7. Yet, he did not call that the greatest accomplishment of his life. “It was a great win, but my fondest memory is the Grace High School team that won the Idaho state championship,” Motta said.

To define his career, he is from Union, Utah, and taught himself coaching by reading books and attending clinics. That journey of his to the NBA is his legacy.