When Chauncey Billups first heard that he was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, he thought the person making the phone call was playing a prank.

After all, the call came on April 1. The Trail Blazers coach also had his share of doubts considering the rocky start his career got off to in Boston.

The news turned out to be real. Billups is one of 13 members selected for the 2024 class. He will be enshrined in Springfield in August.

“Once I knew that it was official and it was real, it felt amazing,” Billups said. “I guess it was a feeling of validation even though I felt good about my career. Had I not gotten into the Hall, what I did was not going to be undone anyway. But, that’s basketball heaven. That’s what it is right there. That’s where you want to end up.”

The Celtics selected Billups No. 3 overall in the 1997 NBA Draft and traded him to Toronto at the trade deadline during his rookie season.

“It was hard early, being here,” Billups said. “I was so excited to be drafted here, you know, the rich tradition and history and all the great players who played here. I was just so excited to be here and at the time Rick [Pitino] was coming here and the way they played in college, I thought kind of suited my game, running up and down playing defense, shooting 3s.

“I just thought it was going to be perfect. Obviously, it wasn’t. It was nobody’s fault, it wasn’t Rick’s fault, it wasn’t my fault. I just wasn’t really ready at the time to be that guy. It just took time, man.”

The struggles helped make Billups a better player. He ended up playing 17 seasons in the NBA and was named MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals.

“I come from that oven generation, not that microwave generation that we’re in,” Billups said. “Like, you’ve got to let it go. You’ve got to let it cook for a while. That’s always been a good thing of mine.

“I’ve always felt that I could do anything and everything in due time if given the time. Sometimes in this sport, in any sport, you don’t get the time to mature. There’s different pressures everywhere so you don’t get the opportunity sometimes, but patience has been a big thing for me.

Bigger role for Banton

Dalano Banton’s scoring average jumped from 2.3 points with the Celtics to 16 after he was traded to the Trail Blazers on Feb. 8. He is averaging 28.1 minutes per game for Portland now, compared to 7.1 when he was in Boston.

Boston’s depth made it tough for Banton to get time on the floor, but the 24-year-old forward has been able to carve out a role in Portland. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said he appreciated the job Banton did with the team.

“He did a great job,” Mazzulla said. “But, the thing about the NBA is the situation and the opportunity to get in. He played his role and took advantage of the opportunities he got for us here, but he’s getting much more of an opportunity there and he’s taken advantage of that. So, just a credit to his work ethic and I’m happy for him.”

Tatum out, Brown in

Jayson Tatum (knee) missed Sunday’s contest. Jaylen Brown (hand) and Jaden Springer (knee) returned to action.

It’s Brown’s second appearance this month. He scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds during Wednesday’s win over Oklahoma City.