The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame named its finalists for the class of 2025 on Friday. As a reminder, the Hall is not limited to figures from the NBA, but rather, encompasses the entire sport of basketball. This year’s finalists includes several legends from both the NBA and WNBA, coaches, contributors, and even one entire team. Below are the 17 finalists announced on Friday:
- Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star who most prominently played for the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.
- Dwight Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star who won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Marques Johnson, a five-time NBA All-Star who spent most of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1970s and 80s.
- Buck Williams, a three-time NBA All-Star who split his prime between the New Jersey Nets and Portland Trail Blazers.
- Sue Bird, one of the most accomplished WNBA players of all time with four championships, 13 All-Star selections and eight All-WNBA selections under her belt.
- Maya Moore, the 2014 WNBA MVP and a two-time Naismith College Player of the Year.
- Sylvia Fowles, a two-time WNBA champion and eight-time All-Star.
- Jennifer Azzi, the 1990 Naismith College Player of the Year who spent most of her prime playing abroad before the WNBA was founded.
- Molly Bolin, the first player to sign with the first women’s professional basketball league in the United States (the WBL).
- Billy Donovan, a two-time national championship coach at the college level who now coaches the Chicago Bulls in the NBA.
- Mark Few, the longtime head coach at Gonzaga.
- Jerry Welsh, a longtime collegiate coach at Iona and SUNY Potsdam.
- Dusan Ivkovic, a two-time EuroLeague champion as a coach.
- Danny Crawford, an NBA official between 1985 and 2017.
- Micky Arison, the owner of the Miami Heat since 1995.
- Tal Brody, an Israeli former player, coach and broadcaster who has served in a variety of ambassadorial roles in basketball.
- The 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team, better known as the “Redeem Team.”
While in the past, the waiting period between retirement and enshrinement has been as long as five years, it has recently been reduced to three, allowing some candidates in this class — including Howard and Anthony — to be selected earlier than previously retired legends. Voting is not conducted by media, as is the case in many other sports, but rather, through anonymous, 24-member committees.
Candidates under consideration by these honors committees need 18 out of 24 votes to make it in, while Direct Elect Committees, which include the Veteran, International, Contributor and Early African-American Pioneer Committees, can each directly name one Hall of Famer per year.
The final selections will be announced at the NCAA Final Four in April, and the enshrinement ceremony takes place in September.
