Larry Costello: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

LARRY COSTELLO

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

It’s not every day, in fact it’s not every YEAR, that someone associated with our area is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Earlier this year, Dr. Lesley Kirby, owner of Lifetime Hearing Services in Florence, Hartsville and Camden, watched ESPN one Saturday afternoon from her office. Across the TV screen scrolled her father’s name and photograph. Larry Costello had made it into the NBA Hall of Fame! What made it even more remarkable was that her father passed away almost 22 years ago. “It was the one accolade he never saw happen when he was alive, yet it was also the most important one he yearned to achieve," says Kirby. "Not for the prestige, for he was an extremely humble man, but he honestly just wanted to be recognized for his contributions to the sport of basketball.” Costello played guard for the Syracuse Nationals and the Philadelphia 76er’s in the 1960’s and then was asked to be the very first head coach for a brand new NBA franchise team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Playing alongside names such as Wilt Chamberlain and coaching the likes of Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Oscar Robertson, he was one of a very few to earn a world championship ring both as a player and a coach. In October, at the enshrinement ceremony, Costello’s life came full circle as his daughters traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts for the ceremony. They were met with NBA Hall of Fame inductees such as Bill Walton, Charles Barkley, Walt Frazier and co-inductee Tim Hardaway. “It truly amazed me the depth of dad’s contributions into the sport, and how everyone I talked to said, 'This is way long overdue - Larry deserved to be in the Hall of Fame when he was alive.'” Costello certainly touched the NBA, as well as the WNBA when he was the first coach of the womens’ pro basketball team, the Milwaukee Does, and also college ball when he was the Division I basketball coach at Utica College in New York, and he even coached high school basketball - every single level of basketball, all ages and demographics, were coached by Larry Costello. And each was impacted positively based upon story after story that was told at the Hall of Fame induction. Yes, Costello was an excellent example of life-long legacy, work ethic, and integrity - all instilled personally into his four daughters. Kirby shared, “It took 22 years, but what an incredible blessing and experience to witness our father’s life truly come full circle, surrounded by family and friends from all over the nation.”

Larry’s daughters (L-R): Colleen, Amy, Pam and Lesley