Tonight we are here to memorialize the career of one of the greatest big men this league has ever witnessed. More remarkable than Tom Gugliotta's career is how it seemingly came from nowhere: while the 1992 draft class will go down as one of the best in our league's history, Gugliotta was drafted 8th, behind Christian Laettner, Robert Horry, and Jim Jackson. He helped define a team in Charlotte that many thought was hapless, even taking them to the conference finals in 1995 on a dream run that included upsets of the Pacers and the Knicks.
Gugliotta was dealt to several teams over the next few seasons, but his skill never waned. And then, when he arrived in Toronto, he led that team to a place they had never been: atop the PBSL championship mountain. In Toronto he completed the sundae: his impressive stats and all-star bids were the ice cream and now the ring and Finals MVP was the cherry on top.
But Tom wasn't satisfied with one cherry, so he went to Denver and won one more championship, providing solid numbers and leadership off of the bench.
His accomplishments speak for themselves: 10 all star games, 5 PBSL first team appearances, one second team, one third team, three PBSL All Defense first teams, two rings, one Finals MVP, and one epic game where he played point guard. All of this plus his dedication to the game and his reliability as a teammate and leader is what makes him one of the best PBSL has ever offered.
Welcome to the Hall of Fame Tom Gugliotta!
Thank you and good night.
*NOTE: NICK MAY CLAIM ONE POINT*
