Springfield, MA (My Sportsbook) - James Worthy and Robert Parish, two of the NBA's 50 greatest players, will be enshrined Friday in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Joining Worthy and Parish for enshrinement will be legendary Italian superstar Dino Meneghin, famed Louisiana Tech women's coach Leon Barmore, African- American basketball pioneer Earl Lloyd, Los Angeles Lakers broadcasting icon Chick Hearn, and Meadowlark Lemon of the Harlem Globetrotters.

Hearn, who died on August 5, 2002, is the first broadcaster elected to the Hall of Fame.

The seven new electees represent the 45th group to enter the Hall of Fame since the institution began the process in 1959.

The Class of 2003 was selected from a record group of 30 finalists. The Honors Committee elected Parish and Barmore in their first year of eligibility. Worthy had been a finalist the previous three years. Meneghin and Lloyd were finalists the last two years and Lemon was a first-time finalist, but has been reviewed by the North American Screening Committee the last three years. An individual needs five of seven votes from their Screening Committee to become a Hall of Fame finalist and 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election.

Worthy, nicknamed "Big Game James" was a member of three NBA championship teams with the Lakers in the 1980s. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the 1988 Finals, averaging 22.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists as Los Angeles beat Detroit in seven games to capture its third title in four seasons.

Known as "The Chief," Parish played more minutes and in more games than any other player in NBA history. A 7-foot center who combined strength, agility and remarkable endurance, Parish won three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics in the 1980s and teamed with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to form one of the greatest front lines in NBA history. He capped his career by winning yet another championship ring as a member of the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls.