The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced 13 finalists to be considered for induction this year, including four newcomers, according to a league press release.
The list includes eight players, four coaches, and a referee.
The new names under consideration are Marques Johnson, Jack Sikma, Ben Wallace and Paul Westphal. The other players on the list include Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief, Chris Webber and Theresa Weatherspoon.
The four coaches hoping for enshrinement include Leta Andrews, Bill Fitch, Eddie Sutton and Barbara Stevens. Hugh Evans is the referee who made the short list.
Potential honorees are eligible on the ballot for Hall of Fame enshrinement after three full seasons of retirement.
The Class of 2019 will be announced at a press conference in Minneapolis at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in April.
Among the newcomers, Johnson’s resume includes reaching the All-Star game five times and being named 1979 national collegiate Player of the Year. Sikma, who played for the Seattle SuperSonics, was a seven-time All-Star. Wallace made four All-Star appearances and was named Defensive Player of the Year four times with the Pistons. Westphal, also a longtime coach in the league, was a five-time All-Star.
To make the Hall of Fame, a finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee.
Wow! Three Bucks! I grew up watching Marques Johnson, and Sidney Moncrief is still one of my favourites. Sikma had a distinct set shot which was tough to defend. Glad to see new found love for these guys.
Marques Johnson was an excellent player.
Sikma, Moncreif, Webber – heck yes; Johnson, Fitch, Sutton – ok; not sure about any of the rest
Youre backing webber, but dont know about big ben and his 4 defensive player of the year awards alongside his 1 championship?
Exactly!! How can anyone forget the undrafted fro
I’m going to puke if Jack Sikma gets in the HOF before Tom Chambers.
TIL Chambers isn’t in the Hall….
That’s even worse than no Rudy T
Eddie Sutton and Chris Webber are the only two worthy
Big ben over wallace, wtf?
Rough year for the HOF. Chris Webber was a great player, and I don’t have a problem with him being in the Hall. But does anyone think he had the type of career to LEAD a HOF class? There are some great players here, but it is missing the lead dog, so to speak. There is not a no doubter first ballot Hall of Famer here. There are some worthy players and coaches here, but overall this is a weak group of finalists.
Agreed
I seen Chris Weber on Roy Firestone ‘s show on ESPN when he was still in college, crying “they’re selling my jersey for $20 in the book store and I don’t have enough $$ to buy a Big Mac”…all the while taking $$$$ from a booster….just go away, JAG….
Sydney Moncrief definitely deserves to be in the hall. He was the best lock down defender of the eighties and he was not an offensive liability. I hope he gets in.
He had a beautiful jumper.
Players in the 80s did not get much TV exposure– there was no nationwide network TV package. Even Boston, LA, etc had to wait until the finals.
4x defensive player of the year ben wallace, one championship, 4x all star, 3x 2nd team, 2x 3rd team, 5x defensive 1st team….
And he wasnt even drafted.
GMs may not have integrated the importance of arm length into evaluations back then. Heck they still may not. Jay Bilas gets people confused with his own personal wingspan comparison standards. ;)
When Wallace blocked O’Neal in that playoff game, that was epic. Even though it was mistakingly called a foul, amazing. When asked after the game about the block Shaq goes “young lady that was a foul”. Priceless. That pistons team was awesome.
Unbelievable that C-Web wasn’t already in the HOF, that surely will change come spring time.
Sikma, Bobby Jones and Moncrief definitely.
With all due respect, not one of these people are HOF worthy.
Halls of Fame have gotten comical the past 10-15 years in all sports. Bill Fitch lost 1,106 games (granted he did win a championship). Westphal and Marques were very good players, but not HOF material.
very weak HOF class.
Moncrief would already be in if he had played in Boston or LA. Very underrated player. Kudos to him for staying in Milwaukee. Moncrief definitely should be in.