Paul PierceDoug Collins, Michael Cooper and Lauren Jackson are top of the group of first-time nominees for the Class of 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, announced on Tuesday at ESPN’s The Jump.
Howard Garfinkel, Lou Henson, Val Ackerman and Yolanda Griffiths joined the group for the first time, with popular returning candidates. Chauncey PelopsAnd the Chris BushAnd the Richard HamiltonBecky Hammon, Swain Cash W. Ben Wallace.
Pierce spent 15 of his 19 NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning the 2008 MVP Championship and Finals. He is a 10-time All-Star superstar and second in the Celtics’ all-time scorer list behind John Havlicek.
Collins was previously No.1 public pick and spent all eight seasons of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. He is best known for his training, starting with the Chicago Bulls in 1986 as he coached the famous Michael Jordan, before Phil Jackson. Collins went on to coach the Pistons, Wizards and the 76ers and has a career record of 442-407.
Cooper spent 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers as a member of the Showtime Era, winning five championships. He was named NBA’s Most Valuable Defensive Player in 1987 and was named to Team All-Defensive five times. After his football career, he coached the Los Angeles Sparks, winning two championships and WNBA’s Best Coach of the Year in 2000.
Jackson is one of the most crowned female players, winning the WNBL MVP title four times and the WNBA MVP three times. She is a three-time WNBA Champion and seven-time WNBA All-Star, she won the Best Defensive Player award in 2007 and won the WNBA Finals MVP in 2010 as she led the Seattle Storm to the championship.
Garfinkel was a legendary basketball explorer and the founder of the five-star basketball camp, Henson is the winning coach at the University of Illinois and New Mexico, Ackerman was the first president of WNBA and Griffith played 11 years in WNBA, winning the MVP title and finals with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005.
The selection process for the North American and Women’s Committee finalists will take place over the weekend at the NBA All-Star, scheduled for early March. The entire 2021 category will be revealed during the fourth NCAA Final scheduled in early April.
The Class of 2021 is due to be entered in Springfield, Massachusetts, in September 2021. Awards Gala 2020 – Star-studded group themed copy printAnd the Tim Duncan And the Kevin Garnett – Rescheduled and relocated to May 13-15 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.
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