Former Boston Celtics star JoJo White, who had surgery to remove a brain tumor five years ago, has pretaped his induction speech for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
White, 68, will attend this weekend's ceremony in Springfield, Mass., and will be on stage when the video of his speech is shown.
White had a brain tumor removed in 2010. Though he can speak, there was concern it would be difficult for him to read his speech with the pressure of the time limit during the ceremony, which will be televised live.
White played 10 seasons with the Celtics where he won two championships and was also the 1976 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. After his 12-year NBA career ended, the seven-time All-Star became a community ambassador for the Celtics, who retired his No. 10 jersey. The former University of Kansas star was a two-time second-team All-American and a member of the U.S.' 1968 Olympic gold-medal basketball team.
Former Celtics great John Havlicek will present White at the Hall of Fame ceremony, a source said. To help White's recovery from his brain tumor surgery, author Mark Bodanza visited him once a week to ask questions for an eventual book called, "Make It Count: The Life & Times of Basketball Great JoJo White."
When asked in 2013 about his recovery from surgery, White told Yahoo Sports: "I had places that hurt that never hurt before. Every day was difficult. You go from finding yourself back on your feet and being able to do certain things. Being able to walk. Being able to finish a plate of food. It all seemed new."
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