Hall Of Fame

Pacific Notes: Iguodala, Hall Of Fame, Clippers, Suns

September 23rd, 2023 at 11:30am CST by Tristan Tucker

Though it was widely reported he would retire at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season, Andre Iguodala remains noncommittal on his retirement. On a recent episode of J.J. Redick‘s Old Man and the Three podcast (Spotify link), Iguodala continued to be 50/50 on whether he would play in the NBA this season.

“We recorded my decision, but I might come back and hoop … or I might go home,” Iguodala said.

Iguodala, 39, is a four-time NBA champion with the Warriors and won the 2015 Finals MVP award. Through his 19 seasons in the league, Iguodala holds career averages of 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

His most productive on-court seasons came with the Sixers and Nuggets, but he quickly became a staple on Golden State’s championship teams after arriving in ’13/14. Iguodala spent six consecutive seasons with the Warriors from 2013-19 before being traded to the Grizzlies and then the Heat. After playing in 84 games with the Heat, Iguodala signed back with the Warriors ahead of ’21/22 and has played 39 games with the team in the past two years.

For what it’s worth, as of August, it sounded like general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. didn’t expect Iguodala to return to Golden State this season, although he wasn’t ruling out the possibility.

“We’re not going to close the door on anything,” Dunleavy said in August. “But my guess, and my belief, is that he won’t be back.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

While Iguodala was a massive part of Golden State’s championship teams, he doesn’t think he deserves to be enshrined in Springfield, he admitted on the Old Man and the Three podcast (Spotify link). “I’m not a ‘ring culture’ guy, but I’ve benefited from that,” Iguodala said. “I know I have a lot of flaws. And I think there should be tiers of the Hall of Fame. … I’m not a Hall of Famer, if you ask me. No, no, no. Those guys [Hall of Famers] had no flaws.“
While four of the five starting positions for the Clippers appear to be filled, there still remains a hole at the starting power forward spot, opines Law Murray of The Athletic. Murray explores the team’s depth chart and goes through multiple possible options for the starting position, including Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, and outside options like Kobe Brown and Kenyon Martin Jr. Murray expects the team to eventually make an outside addition via trade at some point during the season.
The Suns are one of 10 NBA teams who have yet to win an NBA championship. However, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic believes this season provides one of the franchise’s best opportunities to change that. Rankin lists five reasons why the Suns can win the NBA Finals this year, including their newly developed big three, their defensive-minded coach and their chemistry.

Andre Drummond Believes He Has Hall Of Fame Case

September 2nd, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on The Comfortable Pod (YouTube link) with Marcus Bagley, Bulls center Andre Drummond was asked about the hiatus he took last season for mental health reasons and admitted that he has found it challenging to go from a franchise player in Detroit to a little-used reserve within the last few years.

While it sounds like the veteran big man has come to terms with his role in Chicago heading into 2023/24, the conversation led to a discussion about Drummond’s professional résumé and his place in NBA history. He was an All-Star in 2016 and 2018, made an All-NBA team in ’16, led the league in rebounds per game four times, is the NBA’s all-time leader in rebound percentage, and won a World Cup gold medal with Team USA in 2014.

“I used to play 40-plus minutes. I was a star — All-Star, All-NBA, I’ve done it. Hall of Fame candidate, best rebounder ever,” Drummond said (hat tip to NBC Sports). “… I’ve done great in my career. I think I have a chance to be a Hall of Fame player due to what I’ve done in my career. Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m in the top 20 for being in the Hall of Fame, so I have a great chance.”

Asked where he’d rank himself compared to other centers in NBA history, Drummond replied, “I’d give myself top 30, top 20. I don’t see why not. I’ve done amazing things in my career.”

Given that Drummond – who is still just 30 years old – averaged a career-low 12.7 minutes per game for the Bulls last season, it may seem outlandish on the surface to consider him a Hall of Fame candidate. But his claim that he’s the best rebounder the NBA has ever seen isn’t without merit.

Drummond has averaged 12.7 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game across 785 career appearances. Dennis Rodman, widely considered the NBA’s greatest rebounder, averaged 13.1 in 31.7 minutes per night (911 games). The two men rank first and second in league history in rebound percentage, with Drummond (24.85%) comfortably ahead of Rodman (23.44%), for now.

Of course, while he has always excelled as a rebounder, Drummond hasn’t necessarily been elite in other areas of the game. He’s a solid scorer and defender around the basket, but has seen his role reduced in recent years because he doesn’t stretch the floor on offense and isn’t particularly switchable on defense. He also doesn’t have the sort of postseason accolades that bolster a Hall of Fame case — his teams have won just two games in four playoff appearances.

In an earlier era, when NBA teams were built around traditional centers, Drummond would have been in a better position to enjoy a Hall of Fame career. He could still have several more seasons ahead of him to continue building his résumé, but his case will be harder to make in the modern-day game.

Community Shootaround: Hall Of Fame Omissions

August 12th, 2023 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Saturday’s induction ceremony at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame featured another impressive class, many of whom have NBA ties. Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker all enjoyed long, illustrious careers and were easy choices for enshrinement in Springfield.

But even with more than 150 players in the Hall of Fame, there are some noteworthy omissions. Many players throughout the years have reached notable milestones or contributed to numerous championships without being rewarded by Hall of Fame voters.

Vince Carter, who scored more than 25,700 points in 21 NBA seasons, appears to be the only obvious choice among first-time-eligible players in 2024. That might open the door for a few others who have been waiting a long time for recognition.

Here are a few candidates with possible Hall of Fame credentials:

With 20,049 career points, Tom Chambers is the highest-scoring NBA player who’s not already in the Hall. He was a four-time All-Star and was named MVP of the 1987 game.
Antawn Jamison is right behind Chambers with 20,042 points, making them the only eligible 20,000-point scorers not in the Hall. Jamison was a two-time All-Star and was named Sixth Man of the Year in 2004.
Chauncey Billups is one of two eligible Finals MVPs who haven’t been voted into the Hall. The Trail Blazers coach was a five-time All-Star, made three All-NBA teams and was twice named to the All-Defensive team.
Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudamire starred during the Suns’ “Seven Seconds or Less” era. Marion was a four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA honoree and won a title with Dallas in 2011. Stoudamire was Rookie of the Year in 2003 and picked up six All-Star appearances and five All-NBA designations during his career.
A.C. Green set an NBA record by playing in 1,192 consecutive games. Even though he didn’t put up flashy numbers, he won three championships with the Lakers and was a steady contributor for his entire 16-year career.
Shawn Kemp was a six-time All-Star and a three-time All-NBA selection. The “Reign Man” scored more than 15,000 career points and was among the game’s most ferocious dunkers.
Bill Laimbeer epitomized the “Bad Boys” attitude during his years with the Pistons. He won two titles, made four All-Star teams and was an early pioneer among three-point shooting big men. Laimbeer also became a successful WNBA coach after retirement, winning three championships and earning Coach of the Year honors twice.

We want to get your opinion. Do you consider the names on this list to be Hall of Famers, and do you have some more to nominate? Please leave your responses in the space below.

Texas Notes: Wembanyama, Ginobili, Popovich, Mavericks

August 12th, 2023 at 4:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Hall of Fame former Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili is ready to help the team’s 2023 No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama reach his astronomic ceiling, per Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.

“He is a different type of player than we have ever seen before, so it is a great challenge for the organization and also for him to grow together and to make it together,” Ginobili said. “He is 19, so he is going to have to work a lot, the organization is going to have to work a lot to develop him… But it is a thrill. It is a great problem in some ways to have. So, we are very excited to have him, the same as the community, of course.”

The 7’3″ big man from France looks to be an intimidating defensive force from the start of his rookie season, but he may take some time to develop as a scorer.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State.

On the heels of the addition of Wembanyama and a five-year contract extension, 74-year-old Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t nearly seem done with his Hall of Fame career as both the club’s coach and president of basketball operations. Nevertheless, he will be officially honored in Springfield tonight for his accomplishments thus far. With the four stars that helped propel him to his five titles now all enshrined, Popovich is finally open to his own induction, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Zillgitt takes stock of Popovich’s storied run in San Antonio, and examines what is to come.
Some surprising names mark Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype‘s list detailing the top 12 highest-earning names in Mavericks history, including Shawn Bradley, Erick Dampier, Wesley Matthews, Kristaps Porzingis, and Dwight Powell. Though the No. 1 most highly compensated Dallas player will hardly surprise anyone, the name at No. 2 certainly will.
In case you missed it, 2021 Rockets lottery pick Jalen Green impressed USA Basketball brass with his performance for the Select Team in a pre-FIBA World Cup scrimmage against Team USA in Las Vegas.

Hall Of Fame Notes: Nowitzki, P. Gasol, Spurs, Wade

August 11th, 2023 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki has earned plenty of well-deserved praise as he nears his Hall of Fame induction, which will take place on Saturday. Soccer star Toni Kroos believes his fellow countryman is the greatest German athlete in history, according to Marc Stein at Substack, who also writes a long list of his memories after covering Nowitzki’s career over the past 25 years.

“For me,” said the Real Madrid midfield ace, “Dirk is above anybody.”

As Stein observes, Germany has had a number of incredible athletes, including former tennis stars Steffi Graf and Boris Becker, ex-Formula One driver Michael Schumacher, former soccer player Franz Beckenbauer, and Kroos himself. Yet Nowitzki stands alone for Kroos, not only for his accomplishments on the court, but for the way he carried himself off it.

“At this point we don’t need to talk about his quality as a basketball player,” Kroos told Stein. “To be on this level for so many years, to achieve what he achieved and to make the money he made throughout his career and then to stay the same down-to-Earth guy is what really matters. My feeling is that, little by little, we are losing these Dirk Nowitzkis and Roger Federers. We need more Dirks in this world.”

Tim Cato of The Athletic passes along his own memories of Nowitzki’s career, as well as excerpts from fellow writers touching on the big man’s impact on Dallas and the people around him.

Here are more notes ahead of tomorrow’s enshrinement:

Pau Gasol is among the star-studded class that will be inducted. He recently gave an exclusive interview to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times that covered a number of topics, including his time with the Lakers, his relationship with Kobe Bryant, and what being a Hall-of-Famer means to him.
At a news conference on Friday, the Spanish big man touched on how special it was to be inducted with fellow Europeans Nowitzki and Tony Parker (France). “This class is an incredible accomplishment for European basketball and for international basketball as well,” Gasol said, per Eurohoops.net. “The game has grown so much since we first started playing in the NBA. We can be very proud of having taken the international game to a higher level and very proud of seeing how current players are taking it to the next level. It’s very special to share this moment with Dirk and Tony. It’s remarkable, something that was unthinkable not too long ago. It’s beautiful to share the message that things are possible, things do change and improve, things are exciting, and allow any kid, boy or girl, to dream that they can do it too. That’s the exciting part for me.”
Parker will be the first Frenchman inducted into the Hall of Fame, and he’ll be joined by several people connected to the Spurs, including his former teammate Gasol, his ex-head coach Gregg Popovich, and former assistant coach Becky Hammon. That was one of the topics he discussed in a lengthy interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “That’s crazy,” Parker said. “I don’t even know if it happened in the history of the Hall of Fame that the player is going the same year as his coach. It’s pretty cool. And the whole process is pretty cool because Pau, I played against him since I’m 14 years old and played together at the Spurs. Dirk, a huge Texas rivalry and I went to his jersey retirement. Becky Hammon, people don’t know that a lot, but she’s like my big sister. We [are] very, very close friends. And we were in San Antonio together and spent a lot of time together. Coach Pop was my coach. There’s a lot of connections in that class that makes it very special for me.” Parker also recently sat down for an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews (YouTube link).
On Friday, Popovich said Parker’s first workout with the Spurs went so poorly the team almost didn’t draft him, but the guard’s agent convinced San Antonio to give him another shot, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “I hated him,” Popovich said. “I said I don’t want him. He’s a weenie. He’s unaggressive. He doesn’t like contact, he’s 19, and I don’t want to see him.” However, Parker “kicked ass” at his second workout. “The rest,” Popovich said, “is history.”
Ahead of his enshrinement, Heat legend Dwyane Wade answered 16 questions posed by Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, and discussed his post-NBA success with Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.

And-Ones: Wembanyama, Hall Of Fame, Cap Room, Prospects, Europe

August 10th, 2023 at 9:26pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Victor Wembanyama‘s first NBA game takes place on Oct. 25, one day after opening day, according to NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link). The Spurs play the Mavericks on the second day of the regular season, pitting Wembanyama against Dallas star Luka Doncic.

The Spurs’ offseason revolved around developing their young corps, featuring players like Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Jeremy Sochan, along with taking in big contracts in exchange for draft capital. Meanwhile, the Mavericks made several moves in free agency and in the draft to help them rebound from a lackluster 2022/23.

Stein also tweets that the full ’23/24 schedule release is expected next week. Shams Charania reported the NBA’s opening day lineup and the slate of Christmas Day games earlier today.

Here are more notes from around the basketball world:

With the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023 induction taking place this weekend, The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov explored candidacies of several players for the Hall. Vorkunov evaluates DeMar DeRozan, Paul George and Kyrie Irving‘s respective cases. Even though he lists all as “near locks,” DeRozan and Irving could be on the cusp. In total, Vorkunov lists 41 players, breaking them into tiers for their likelihood of reaching the Hall. Vorkunov predicts some are obvious locks to be named, like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, while others like Rajon Rondo and Blake Griffin, might not make it. Vorkunov also discusses players who are on track to be named to the Hall, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Bam Adebayo, and breaks down why Derrick Rose will be the only MVP to not make the Hall of Fame. I recommend reading the article in full, some picks may surprise you.
Spotrac contributor Keith Smith made his first pass at 2024 cap space projections (Twitter link). Smith lists seven teams that are projected to have over $20MM in cap to work with. The Spurs lead the way with projected 2024 cap space, sitting at $55.3MM, according to Smith, while the Magic are close behind with $51.3MM to spend. The Jazz, Hornets, Pistons, Sixers and Wizards round out the top seven. Pascal Siakam, LeBron James (player option), James Harden and DeMar DeRozan are among the players who could be available next free agency.
The FIBA U18 European Championship took place from July 22-30. The event is a great tool to evaluate future NBA prospects, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, who says that more than four first-round picks per year participated in the event between 2011-21. Givony lists his top 10 prospects from the event (subscription required). UCLA-bound Aday Mara, Mohamed Diawara and Mario Saint-Supery are among the players who crack Givony’s top 10. Givony lists 17-year-old Hugo Gonzalez as his pick for best player at the tournament, as he impressed with his blend of size, frame, shot creation and feel.
Players like Kemba Walker, Willy Hernangomez and Raul Neto are among those who made the move to play in Europe next season. In recent years, we’ve seen players like Nikola Mirotic depart the NBA in the middle of their primes in order to pursue opportunities in Europe. Jabari Parker, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, recently signed overseas and is one of the highest-selected draft picks to do so. Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews (subscriber link) explores why players are making such moves overseas and why European basketball might be an appealing alternative to the NBA or other overseas leagues for players.

And-Ones: Dort, Brooks, Trade Deadline, Allen, Wade, Riley

August 8th, 2023 at 7:06pm CST by Dana Gauruder

While the focus in this country is on Team USA’s preparation for the FIBA World Cup, Team Canada is also filled with NBA players. It’s looking at the combination of the Thunder‘s Luguentz Dort and the Rockets’ Dillon Brooks to spearhead their defense, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic.

“We keep our own secrets, as good defenders. … I kind of know what he does, and he kind of knows what I do at the same time,” Dort said. “I’m ready to go to work with him, and it’s going to be tough to go against good defenders like us.”

Brooks said he admires Dort’s approach. “I’ve kind of watched him become a defensive stopper,” Brooks said. “Guys don’t want to deal with that physicality all night.”

Canada plays its tournament opener against France on Aug. 25.

We have more from around the basketball world:

The start of the regular season will be Oct. 24, a week later than usual. However, the trade deadline won’t be pushed back a week, Fred Katz of The Athletic notes in a Twitter thread. The trade deadline remains the second Thursday of February, which falls on the 8th. It’s significant for the Knicks and Josh Hart if those parties reach an extension agreement. A player is not trade-eligible until six months after he signs an extension, so if Hart gets one, he can’t be dealt during the upcoming season.
Longtime NBA player Tony Allen has been sentenced for his role in a $5MM benefits scam, New York court reporter Pete Brush tweets. Allen, who paid back most of the $420K he illegally took before being charged, avoided prison and was sentenced to community service and supervision. Allen expressed remorse for his illegal activities. “I fully acknowledge my individual responsibility and I understand the gravity of my actions,” he said. “As a member of the NBA community I failed to uphold our core values.”
Dwyane Wade will become the first player drafted by the Heat to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Team president Pat Riley expressed regret that Wade didn’t spend his entire career with the organization, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reports. After playing for Miami for 13 seasons, he had stops in Chicago and Cleveland before returning to the Heat “I was sad to see him go, I was upset that he went,” Riley said about Wade signing with the Bulls. “I knew we could work something out, but we didn’t. We did not work it out the way that he wanted it to be worked out and that’s our fault. I think probably as much as myself and Micky [Arison] and anybody else with the Heat, I think Dwyane went to Chicago and then he went to Cleveland, I think he wanted back as much as any of us wanted him back.” The Hall of Fame induction ceremony is Saturday.

And-Ones: Nowitzki, 2024 Draft, Extension-Eligible Players

August 4th, 2023 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

Former Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, who will be part of a star-studded 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame class, spoke to Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News about his upcoming enshrinement, which will take place next Saturday (August 12).

As Nowitzki explains, growing up in Germany, he was unaware about the importance of the Hall of Fame. It wasn’t until he entered the NBA that he began to learn how meaningful it is to the game’s players. He visited the Hall of Fame in person for the first time in 2018, when he witnessed the inductions of his former teammates Steve Nash and Jason Kidd. Five years later, Nash and Kidd will be the co-presenters introducing Nowitzki when he enters the Hall.

“I remember being so happy for those two; that they got to go in for the careers they had,” Nowitzki said. “I remember just sitting and soaking it all in and listening to all the speeches. Now I’m so happy, I actually can’t believe it’s my time now.”

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report takes a look at six key storylines to watch in advance of the 2024 NBA draft, starting with a wide-open race for the No. 1 pick. One of the other topics of intrigue highlighted by Wasserman relates to the standout freshmen who will be looking to crack crowded, established rotations.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype ranks the players who are eligible to be extended before the start of the 2023/24 season, including Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. While some of the players on Gozlan’s list figure to get new deals in the coming weeks or months, others will likely wait until 2024 or beyond to sign their next contracts.
Depending on where the 2024/25 salary cap lands, Celtics wing Jaylen Brown has a chance to become the first player to earn $300MM on a single NBA contract. However, he certainly won’t be the last, according to Mike Vornukov of The Athletic, who explores what contracts could look like in a few years if the cap keeps increase at its current exponential rate.

Popovich, Nowitzki, Wade Headline 2023 Hall Of Fame Class

April 1st, 2023 at 10:24am CST by Rory Maher

APRIL 1: Popovich, Wade, Nowitzki, Gasol, Parker, and Hammon have officially been announced as Hall of Famers. In addition to those previously reported names, the following inductees will join them:

Gene Bess: Longtime head coach at Three Rivers Community College who won two NJCAA national championships and won a record 1,300 games.
Gary Blair: Longtime women’s basketball head coach at Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Stephen F. Austin who won a national championship in 2011 and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
David Hixon: Longtime Amherst College head coach who won a pair of Division III national championships and was twice named the D-III Coach of the Year
Gene Keady: Longtime Purdue head coach who appeared in 17 NCAA tournaments and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year seven times.

The Hall of Fame is also recognizing Jim Valvano, the late NCAA broadcaster who created The V Foundation for Cancer Research, and the 1976 Olympic U.S. women’s basketball team (Twitter links).

This year’s class will formally be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on the weekend of August 11-12 in Springfield, Mass.

MARCH 28: Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Becky Hammon have been inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

All six were finalists of the 2023 class, and a formal announcement of all the inductees will take place on Saturday morning at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Popovich, the NBA’s all-time leader in wins for a head coach, has won five championships, all with San Antonio. The 74-year-old is in his 27th season as the lead coach of the Spurs, compiling a 1363-757 record to this point, good for a 64.3 winning percentage. In 284 postseason games, his teams have gone 170-114 — a 59.9 winning percentage.

A three-time Coach of the Year, Popovich is the longest tenured active coach in the league. He led Team USA to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

Popovich was actually eligible to be inducted years ago but didn’t want to be considered until his longtime point guard Parker was eligible after Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili were previously inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Nowitzki spent his entire 21-year career with the Mavericks, winning the team’s lone championship in 2011 en route to Finals MVP. He earned numerous accolades during his career, including being named the league’s 2006/07 MVP. The German big man was also 14-time All-Star and 12-time All-NBA member.

Wade, a shooting guard, was a 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA member, and three-time NBA champion with the Heat. He was named Finals MVP in 2006 and spent the bulk of his career with Miami. Wade is currently a part owner of the Jazz.

Parker, a point guard, spent his first 17 seasons with the Spurs before surprisingly signing one-year contract to finish his career with Charlotte. He was a six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA member, four-time NBA champion and 2007 Finals MVP.

Gasol, a forward/center, was a six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA member, two-time NBA champion with the Lakers and was the ’01/02 Rookie of the Year. He also had a storied international career with the Spanish national team, winning a couple of Olympic silver medals and several medals during World Cup and EuroBasket compeitions.

Hammon was a six-time WNBA All-Star and two-time first-team All-WNBA member. The former guard won an Olympic gold medal in 1998 with the U.S. national team.

Hammon was a Spurs assistant for parts of eight seasons, becoming the first female acting head coach in NBA history when Popovich was ejected from a game in December 2020. She departed San Antonio when she was named head coach of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, becoming the first rookie head coach to win a championship last season.

Popovich, Nowitzki, Wade Among Hall Of Fame Finalists

February 17th, 2023 at 5:44pm CST by Rory Maher

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 12 finalists for 2023 on Friday evening, and what a star-studded list it is.

Here are the 12 finalists:

Gregg Popovich – Winningest coach in NBA history, five-time NBA champion
Dirk Nowitzki – 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA, 2006/07 MVP, 2011 NBA champion and Finals MVP
Dwyane Wade – 13-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA, three-time NBA champion, 2006 Finals MVP
Tony Parker – Six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, four-time NBA champion, 2007 Finals MVP
Pau Gasol – Six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA, two-time NBA champion, 2002 Rookie of the Year
Becky Hammon – Six-time WNBA All-Star, two-time first-team All-WNBA
Jennifer Azzi – 1990 Naismith Player of the Year, 1990 national champion with Stanford; 1996 Olympic gold medal
Gene Bess – All-time winningest college coach (1,300) across all levels in 50 years at Three Rivers Community College in Missouri (men’s)
Gene Keady – Seven-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, six-time National Coach of the Year with Purdue (men’s)
David Hixon – 826 wins, two-time Division III national champion and Coach of the Year with Amherst College (men’s)
Gary Blair – 852 wins, 2011 national champion with Texas A&M (women’s)
Marian Washington – 560 wins, 11 NCAA appearances with Kansas (women’s)

According to the Hall of Fame, the entire class of 2023 will be announced in Houston, on April 1 at the NCAA Men’s Final Four at 11:00 AM ET. Potential enshrinees from the Direct Elect Committees may also be recognized at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

The class of 2023 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Mass., on August 11-12.

In addition to the aforementioned nominees, the Hall of Fame also announced that legendary high school scout Tom Konchalski was honored as the 2023 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Konchalski unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago. You can read more about him here.

Marc J. Spears and Holly Rowe of ESPN were named the 2023 Curt Gowdy Media Award winners for print and electronic, respectively, while CBS Sports won the award for the transformative category.

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