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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. --?Chris Paul admits it -- he viewed his trip to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last week as a bit of a nuisance.After all, he lives in Los Angeles now, and with the final precious days of the offseason ticking down, a cross-country trip here was not atop his to-do list. Yet Paul agreed to come to the Hall last Thursday during induction weekend to receive the Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award for his work surrounding the Chris Paul Foundation.It wasnt the first time the Hall had reached out, but it was the first time the nine-time All-Star finally acquiesced.They ask, Paul conceded to ESPN.com, but you think, Im busy or Oh no, its too far, or I have too much other stuff going on.During his tour of the birthplace of basketball, Paul was moved by the stories of African-American pioneers who were banned from hotels and restrooms that welcomed their white teammates. He delighted in locating the plaque of Clarence Big House Gaines, the legendary African-American college coach at Winston-Salem State, just miles from where Paul grew up.It prompted a reflective Paul to deliver one of the most memorable and impassioned speeches from an elite player who wasnt actually being inducted.Today was my first day having the opportunity to come here, and it was kind of touching, Paul told the audience upon accepting his award. If not for this game, I am not here. If not for this game, my family is not in the situation we are in. And so Im grateful for this game and what it has done for me and my family ...With his voice breaking, and tears welling, Paul pressed on.It really hit me today being here around all the history that we take so much for granted, he said. And I know I do [that] a lot of times.Before long, as Paul shared the story of how he pressured his parents to buy him a pair of Allen Iversons signature shoes, he had Iverson -- a 2016 Hall of Fame inductee -- weeping, too.To be here on his special day ... man, this game has taken me places I never imagined, Paul said. Guys, you gotta come see this, because its bigger than any of us.After his emotional speech, Paul took a moment to explain why the visit affected him so deeply.I havent never been here before, and as I walked in I actually felt bad about it, Paul said. It hit home today, in a big way, what this game has done for me, and the people I love. You walk in and you see all the history and you realize, I need to support this.Im one of those people who, my wheels get turning. You want other people to see this. You think, Maybe it would be better if this was in New York or L.A., but that doesnt make sense. The game was invented here. There is where it has to stay.Pauls comments resonated with Jerry Colangelo, the chairman of the Naismith Hall of Fame. Debates have raged for years whether the Hall should relocate to a more accessible and vibrant part of the country, but Hall of Fame president and CEO John Doleva, in conjunction with Colangelo, has developed some innovative Hall of Fame programs outside the Springfield area to widen its scope.Yet Colangelo acknowledges it remains a challenge to draw current NBA stars to the Hall. Some, like Shaquille ONeal, another 2016 inductee, stayed away because of superstition.I call it spooky wook, Shaq explained. I didnt want to jinx it. I wasnt setting foot in this Hall of Fame until I was actually being inducted.ONeal, who said he was very impressed by this fabulous event, pledged to do more for the Hall going forward.The trick, said Colangelo, is to find a way to have current players throw their support behind the Hall while they are still in their prime.I think theres a sentiment where some guys dont want to feel like theyre politicking for the Hall of Fame by being engaged, Colangelo said. But lets be realistic about it: Very few of them actually get there.I also think the interest level of the current players in the Hall is not where I would like it.Thats an attitude were hopeful of changing. If you are blessed with the ability to earn a living off this game and you recognize how blessed you are to have that opportunity, your giving back should start right there.LeBron James made his first trip to Springfield in 2012 when Nike magnate Phil Knight was inducted and, according to Hall of Fame officials, experienced an emotional response similar to Pauls. Colangelo fervently believes once he gets the NBA stars into the building, they will appreciate its history and support the holding tank of their legacy.Colangelo wondered aloud why NBA teams dont make a side trip to the Hall when they are in town to play the Celtics (Springfield is an hour and half west of Boston). While acknowledging the time constraints of teams that are searching for ways to rest their players, not add to their workload, Colangelo said, It could be done, and it would have great value. They could hold their shootarounds at the Hall, right on the court.Its something I intend to pursue.Colangelo has another plan to lure some of the NBAs current elite to Springfield, perhaps as soon as 2017. Next years potential Hall of Fame class likely will be underwhelming compared to the star power of Shaq, Iverson, Yao Ming and Sheryl Swoopes. Colangelo said the Hall is discussing the possibility of honoring the USA Basketball organization.Its just a thought in the back of my mind, Colangelo said. Think of it. If you honor USA Basketball as a whole, you will be bringing back all the gold medalists, both men and women, and you will end up [with] a terrific group of former and current players.Before induction weekend, the Hall had raised $16 million of its $20 million capital campaign fundraising effort. Colangelo said they picked up another $2 million or so in pledges following the induction ceremonies. The monies have been targeted to renovate the facility, upgrade the technology of the exhibits and shore up the Halls bottom line.The current facility opened in 2002 to great fanfare but came with a price tag of more than $7 million of debt. By 2003, the Hall of Fame was in crisis and contemplated selling off some of its priceless memorabilia. Declaring bankruptcy also was discussed.Doleva and Scott Zuffelato, the Halls vice president of philanthropy, approached Colangelo and asked him to take an active role in helping them generate revenue for the Hall.They needed to raise some money really quickly in the worst way, Colangelo said.Colangelo dialed up each NBA owner, asking them to match his personal pledge of $250,000. He said all but two complied; only former Clippers owner Donald Sterling and former Pistons owner Bill Davidson balked. Sterling has since been removed as Clippers owner by the league, while Davidson, who exhibited a long history of philanthropy during his lifetime, died in 2009. His family sold the team two years later.Im not sure what happened with Bill, Colangelo said. I always had great respect for him. Had I seen him face to face, I think I would have been able to convince him, but I never really did get the chance to address it with him.Even with the infusion of cash, the Hall needed a way to pare down its debt. Colangelo tapped commissioner David Stern to assist, and when Adam Silver succeeded Stern in 2014, Colangelo went back and tapped Silver as well.The Hall of Fame now is on solid footing and enjoyed one of its most robust months of attendance in August, yet its continued success would be significantly buoyed by the generosity of the men and women who are immortalized there.Paul, who is also president of the players union, said he plans to go back to his NBA brethren and encourage them to see for themselves how the pioneers of the game paved the way -- and to spur them to give back.Every experience is different for every person, but this place? It got me, Paul said. I cant wait to bring my son. Nike React Element 87 Pas Cher . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. 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They reached the 100-point plateau for the fourth time in five games, bested the visiting Trail Blazers by 34 in the paint and scored 19 of the final 25 points in regulation.UEFA have charged Borussia Dortmund for breaching safety regulations at last Thursdays Europa League clash with Tottenham - but Spurs fans insist this is not the end of the matter. Dortmund, who won the first-leg 3-0 and travel to White Hart Lane for the second on Thursday, face disciplinary action for a blocked stairwell inside the Westfalenstadion, UEFA confirmed on Tuesday.But UEFA have also asked both the Bundesliga club and Tottenham for their observations on a separate incident outside the ground in which a fan-crush ensued and 17 people were injured by police pepper spray. UEFA are anticipating a dossier from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust (THST), which has been handed to Tottenham, detailing the events outside the away end of Signal Iduna Park.THST, who want further action taken against Dortmund as well as a full apology from Dortmund police, have asked for a meeting with Dortmund when they arrive in London for this weeks second leg.THST co-chair Martin Cloake said it was one of the worst experiences Ive had to get into a ground since the 1970s.And fellow co-chair Kat Law told Sky Sports News HQ: While we welcome the disciplinary action, this is not the end of the matter.Our feeling is that this punishment is for a separate incident from what happened outside the stadium and we want full disciplinary proceedings brought on Dortmund for what happened outside. Spurs were beaten 3-0 in the first-leg at Signal Iduna Park, or Westfalenstadion We also want a full apology from police too, who wrongly claimed that Spurs fans caused disorder outside the stadium. This was not the case, and we are also hoping to meet with Dortmund officials again when they come to White Hart Lane on Thursday.ddddddddddddDortmund Police claimed in a statement last week: The majority of English fans arrived at the stadium shortly before the game, so there was pressure on the north entrance. This allowed about 80 supporters of Tottenham to come freely into the stadium.At first the entrance gates were temporarily closed by the security service. They then reopened the entrances to confrontations between visiting fans and security service employees. Due to the conflicts, the gates had to be closed again, which was only possible through the support of police forces.In order to prevent an uncontrolled entrance of the followers of Tottenham, pepper spray and batons were used by the police, in which 17 English supporters were slightly injured due to eye irritation.Furthermore a police officer and five employees of the security service were wounded in the course of these measures.Following the game, a Tottenham spokesman said: The misdirection of our fans by police along with the closing of turnstiles created a potentially dangerous situation. The use of pepper spray was completely unnecessary and unacceptable.We arranged for our fans to meet with officials of Borussia Dortmund immediately after the game. We have also spoken to officials at the club and they have taken on board our concerns.A statement on the UEFA website on Tuesday read: Disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Borussia Dortmund following the UEFA Europa League round of 16 first-leg against Tottenham Hotspur, played on March 10 in Germany.Charges against Borussia Dortmund: Stairways blocked - Art. 38 of UEFA Safety and Security Regulations. The case will be dealt with by the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body on May 19. Also See: Spurs video Spurs fixtures Spurs stats Get free ￡10 bet ' ' '