Basketball Hall of Fame 2023: Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade, Becky Hammon, and Gregg Popovich reportedly among those elected
International basketball legends Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker are also set to have received the nod for the 2023 Hall of Fame class to be officially announced on Saturday 1 April.
Basketball
Olympic basketball champion Dwyane Wade and Spanish NBA icon Pau Gasol are among the sport’s stars expected to be elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.
According to ESPN, the Class of 2023 is to be loaded with legends, with two-time Olympic basketball-winning coach Gregg Popovich and WNBA history-maker Becky Hammon set to join Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki as inductees.
An official announcement detailing the complete Class of 2023 will be made on Saturday (1 April) during the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four in Houston.
A two-time Olympic medallist with the United States men's team, Wade retired from the NBA in 2019 after winning three titles with the Miami Heat. During his career, the shooting guard made 13 All-Star appearances and was chosen Finals MVP in 2006. Wade was part of the 'Redeem Team' USA squad which won Beijing 2008 Olympic gold.
Spanish power forward Gasol retired in 2019 after nearly two decades in the NBA, which saw him win two championship titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and make six All-Star teams. He recently had his number retired by the Lakers as a nod to his contributions. Gasol also won three Olympic medals and the 2006 world title with Spain.
Nowitzki, like Gasol and Wade, also retired from the league in 2019 having played his entire 21-year-long NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks. As well as lifting the Mavericks to their only NBA title in 2011, the German was attributed with a signature move, the one-legged fadeaway.
San Antonio Spurs legend Parker spent 17 of his 18 years in the NBA years competing for the franchise. During his time, the Frenchman was a six-time All-Star and was made Finals MVP in 2007.
Popovich, a long-time supporter of Parker’s career ashis Spurs coach, will be enshrined as the NBA’s all-time most successful coach, winning five championships with the franchise. The 74-year-old longest-tenured NBA coach has also left his mark on Team USA, leading the national men's side to two Olympic gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 as a head coach.
Hammon, who served as an assistant under Popovich at the Spurs from 2014-22, is a six-time WNBA All-Star with two WNBA First Team selections. After wrapping up at the Spurs, Hammon took the head coach role at the Las Vegas Aces, where she became the first WNBA coach to win a title in her debut year. She also claimed bronze in the women's basketball competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
The induction is scheduled for 12 August in Springfield, Massachusetts.