Former Rockets coach officially inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame

It's official. Former Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Although he was an NBA head coach for 16 seasons, four of which were in Houston, D'Antoni was rather recognized for his unique offensive approach. Instead of being named to the Hall of Fame as a coach, D'Antoni was given the honor of being named to the Contributors Committee, having played a large role in developing the modern offense used in today's NBA. While most of his contributions came with the "Seven Seconds or Less Suns," D'Antoni's modern offense with the Rockets also changed the way teams approach 3-point shooting today. During his career, D'Antoni won two NBA Coach of the Year Awards (2005 and 2017). He also won a gold medal with Team USA as an assistant and seven trophies during his time coaching in Italy. Of the five NBA franchises he coached for, he had the highest winning percentage with Houston (68.2%), finishing with a 217-101 record. During his speech, D'Antoni gave props to former Rockets guard James Harden, who was in attendance to support his former coach. "My philosophy had to change to maximize this guy, James Harden. He's one of the most skilled players I have ever coached, and I appreciate the trust he gave me." Harden and D'Antoni were an incredible Western Conference combination, having come within one win of an NBA Finals appearance during the 2017-18 season. Even though D'Antoni doesn't have an NBA championship to show for his tremendous career, his inclusion into the Hall of Fame puts the icing on the cake. Even better, D'Antoni was inducted alongside one of his former players, Amar'e Stoudamiere. For more NBA content, check out the BasketBaltes podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@BasketBaltes https://www.instagram.com/basketbaltes/ This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Former Rockets coach officially inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame