High School Hall of Fame for GW’s Chauncey Billups

There are a few select athletes that Coloradans know even if they don’t follow sports; John Elway goes without saying, and Chauncey Billups—who will be inducted into the National High School Hall Of Fame on June 27—is another.

No need to read that twice, or thrice, the National High School Hall Of Fame is a real thing, and rightfully so, especially for someone like Chauncey Billups. The National Federation Of State High School Associations, or NFHS, is the hall of fame for exceptional high school stars.Even if it didn’t exist before, a center of recognition would need to be created for someone like Billups.

Billups’ full court press into a basketball career started in Park Hill, Denver. Billups became a four-time player of the year at George Washington High School when most freshmen hope to just make the junior varsity team. Averaging 24 points per game, Billups was named Mr. Colorado Basketball three times, Colorado Player Of The Year as a sophomore and junior, and led his team to two state championship titles in 1993 and 1994. His team—George Washington HS—could have threepeated when he was a senior, but Billups was sidelined with a shoulder injury that eventually became a reoccurring problem throughout his career.

Many Coloradans love Billups because he stayed home for college instead of going to a big college ball university. Staying even paid off as a sophomore when he led the University Of Colorado Buffaloes to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than 30 years.

Billups has played for seven NBA teams, including the Denver Nuggets  twice, was an NBA Finals MVP, made five all-star teams and was all-NBA three times. He is presently in his 16th NBA season playing for the Los Angeles Clippers.The former Denver Nuggets guard and Denver native will join Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Thiesmann and 11 other inductees at the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center on June 27 for the ceremony. This will be the 31st Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for the National Federation Of State High Schools.

Billups will be the 20th Coloradan to be inducted into the National High School Hall Of Fame, inspiring Colorado teens to do their best even at the high school level.