Livescore
On Friday, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 16 individual finalists (and one team) for the Class of 2025, out of dozens of potential nominees. The final list is highlighted by a number of big names across the NBA and WNBA, including Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, the 2008 U.S. men’s basketball team and more.
Among NBA players, Anthony and Howard stand out as finalists. Anthony is a 10-time All-Star, best known for his time with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. Howard, an eight-time All-Star, started his career with the Orlando Magic for eight seasons before playing for a number of other teams. He earned a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA bubble in 2020. Both Anthony and Howard finished their NBA careers with the Lakers in 2022.
There are several big names on the WNBA side. Bird, considered one of the greatest point guards in WNBA history, is a 13-time All-Star, four-time WNBA Champion and five-time Olympic gold medalist. She retired from the league in 2022 after spending her entire career with the Seattle Storm.
Another WNBA finalist, Moore, had a relatively short career but a lot to show for it. In eight seasons, Moore led the Lynx to four WNBA championships, earning six All-Star nods and the WNBA MVP in 2014. Moore’s jersey was retired by Minnesota in an emotional ceremony in August.
One of Moore’s former Lynx teammates, Sylvia Fowles, is also a finalist. After seven seasons with the Chicago Sky, Fowles won two WNBA Championships in Minnesota, earning WNBA MVP in 2017, plus eight All-Star honors and four WNBA Defensive Play of the Year awards. She retired from the WNBA in 2022.
The Hall is also honoring the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team. Nicknamed the “Redeem Team,” the team was coached by Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, who led the team to a gold medal finish after a disappointing bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics.
For the coaches, the finalists include several key names — including some that are still on the sideline. Mark Few and Billy Donovan are all still actively coaching: Donovan has headed up the Chicago Bulls since 2020, while Few has been the head coach at Gonzaga since 1999. Under Naismith guidelines, coaches can be eligible for the Hall either after five years of retirement, or after a minimum of 25 years as a coach.
Another notable name is Micky Arison, owner of the Miami Heat since 1995, who is one of two finalists in the contributor category. “Contributor” covers a wide range of positions, including former NBA commissioners, sports executives and others whom the Hall of Fame committee considers having made “significant contributions” to the game of basketball.
The Hall of Fame announced a list of eligible nominees in December. A number of the finalists, including Anthony, Howard, Bird, Moore, Donovan, Few and more, were first-time nominees.
A few notable names, including NBA coach Doc Rivers and former Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, were not announced as finalists. Additionally, former NBA stars and first-time nominees Amar’e Stoudemire and Marc Gasol were not named finalists.
The full Class of 2025 will be announced during a ceremony at the NCAA Final Four on April 5.
Here is the full list of finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025:
Players
Carmelo Anthony*
Sylvia Fowles*
Maya Moore*
Dwight Howard*
Sue Bird*
Jennifer Azzi
Buck Williams
Molly Bolin
Marques Johnson
Dušan Ivković
Coaches
Billy Donovan*
Mark Few*
Jerry Welsh
Referees
Danny Crawford*
Contributors
Micky Arison*
Tal Brody
Teams
2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team
* denotes first-time nominee
Adrian Wojnarowski receives Gowdy Award
In addition to the Hall of Fame finalists, other honors awarded by the organization were announced on Friday. Among the recipients was longtime basketball reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, who was honored with the 2025 Curt Gowdy Insight Award.
Wojnarowski, a veteran of ESPN and Yahoo Sports who was one of the most influential journalists in sports history before his retirement last year, is one of four Gowdy Award recipients, but is given a special iteration of the award for his contributions. The Gowdy awards, named for late sports broadcaster Curt Gowdy, are given to media members who have made significant contributions to the game.
After time at a number of smaller papers, Wojnarowski landed with Yahoo Sports in 2007, becoming known for his NBA scoops and breaking news alerts, nicknamed “Woj Bombs.” After a decade with Yahoo, he joined ESPN’s staff as their NBA insider in 2017.
In December, Wojnarowski shocked the sports world by announcing he was retiring from journalism and joining his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, as general manager of the Bonnies’ basketball team. Wojnarowski later revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, which played a part in his decision to retire. Wojnarowski received a good prognosis and currently does not have any symptoms.
Read the full article here
Discussion about this post