This article is from: srnnews.com
Basketball’s Naismith Hall of Fame officially announced its nine inductees for the 2026 class on Saturday, with a pair of current head coaches to be honored, as well as three former WNBA players.
The induction class also includes the entire 1996 United States women’s national team that earned gold at the Atlanta Summer Olympics and was coached by Tara VanDerveer.
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few was named to the class, as well as Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. Six-time NBA All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire was named along with former NBA referee Joey Crawford, who spent 39 seasons in the NBA. That group was selected by the North American Committee.
The Women’s Committee not only selected the entire 1996 women’s team, it also named two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne, six-time WNBA All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw and two-time MVP and three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker.
The Contributors Committee selected Mike D’Antoni, who was an NBA head coach for 16 seasons with the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.
Few has guided Gonzaga to 26 consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and championship game appearances in 2017 and 2021. His Bulldogs teams have earned at least 23 wins in every season he has been on the bench since 1999-2000.
Rivers ranks sixth in NBA history with 1,191 victories and guided the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA title as part of his 27 seasons as a coach. He also played 13 seasons with four teams, the first eight with the Atlanta Hawks (1983-91), and played in the 1988 All-Star Game.
Stoudemire was a six-time All-Star during 14 seasons (2013-16), most notably starring for the Suns during the first eight seasons of his career. He won Rookie of the Year honors for the 2002-03 season and had career averages of 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds.
Crawford officiated 2,561 NBA games, second only to Dick Bavetta. He also officiated a record 374 playoff games and 50 NBA Finals games.
Parker won three WNBA titles with three teams in 16 campaigns (2008-23) and was league MVP during the 2008 and 2013 seasons. The seven-time All-Star also won two college national titles at Tennessee (2007, 2008) and two Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012).
Delle Donne won WNBA MVP awards in 2015 and 2019 and led the Washington Mystics to the 2019 title. She was a seven-time All-Star in 10 seasons with the Chicago Sky (2013-16) and Mystics (2017-19, 2021-23).
The induction ceremonies are Aug. 14-15 in Springfield, Mass.
–Field Level Media
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