A star-studded lineup of former NBA and WNBA players and coaches headline the 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame finalists.
Legacies that defined eras now move one step closer to immortality.
Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Blake Griffin, and Amar’e Stoudemire headline the list of finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
Parker, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, made history as the only player in league history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season.
She went on to capture two MVP awards, win three WNBA championships with three different franchises — the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces — and earn seven All-Star selections, cementing her status as one of the game’s first true positionless stars.
Delle Donne, also a two-time WNBA MVP (2015, 2019), built her legacy as one of the most efficient scorers the sport has ever seen.
She became the first WNBA player to record a 50-40-90 shooting season and led the Washington Mystics to their first championship in 2019.
On the men’s side, Griffin and Stoudemire represent two of the most electrifying ballers of their generation.
Griffin, the No. 1 overall pick in 2009, helped transform the Los Angeles Clippers into perennial contenders during the “Lob City” era.
A six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection, he paired elite athleticism with evolving playmaking, finishing his 14-year career with more than 14,000 points and 3,000 assists.
Stoudemire, the 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year, was a dominant force in the pick-and-roll alongside Steve Nash in Phoenix.
A six-time All-Star and 2006-07 All-NBA First Team selection, he averaged 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds across 14 seasons, establishing himself as one of the premier scoring big men of the 2000s.
Other player finalists include Kevin Johnson, Buck Williams and Marques Johnson.
Headlining the coaching finalists are Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, who won the 2008 NBA title with the Boston Celtics joined by Gonzaga’s Mark Few, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson and Jerry Welsh, while two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike D’Antoni earned his first nomination as a contributor.
The full Class of 2026 will be revealed during NCAA Final Four weekend in April, with enshrinement ceremonies scheduled for August in Springfield, Massachusetts.
—
Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.