There was a party in Springfield, Mass., and Vince Carter was at the center of it.

Thirteen new players, coaches and contributors were inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday, but the headliner was Vince Carter, who shared this thought with his fellow inductees.

Why is Vince Carter in the Hall of Fame? It's not just the dunks, although any highlight package of Carter is going to have a lot of those.

Also in this class was Pistons legend and current Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, who was looking fabulous.

Also in this class was Showtime Lakers defensive ace Michael Cooper, as well as another Lakers legend in Jerry West, this time as a contributor for his role as a GM (with the Lakers and Grizzlies, plus he worked in the Warriors and Clippers front offices). Cooper had to talk about West during his induction.

Maybe the best speech of the night went to WNBA legend and champion Seimone Augustus.

Others inducted into the Hall of Fame this year were NBA player and coach Doug Collins, Walter Davis, two-time NBA champion Dick Barnett, Wisconsin coaching legend Bo Ryan, Louisiana high school coaching legend Charles Smith, Australian star and WNBA player Michele Timms, and Pacers owner Herb Simon.