The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has its class of 2023, and it’s stacked with champions.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the class features Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, and all of them have won titles as either a player or a coach.
Wade, drafted by the Heat with the fifth pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, played in the league for 16 years and was a 13x All-Star and 3x NBA Champion. Wade averaged 22 ppg, 5.4 apg and 4.7 rpg. He was a dominant force with the Heat, making the All-Star team 13 of the 15 years he played in Miami.
Nowitzki, with his patented one-legged fade away, was one of the most unique players the league has ever seen. Drafted by the Mavericks in 1998 out of Germany, Dirk became a 14x All-Star, an NBA champion (2011) and league MVP (2006-07 season), while averaging 20.7 ppg and 7.5 rpg.
Pau played for five teams during his career, but he was best known for his time with the Grizzlies and the Lakers. Drafted by Memphis in 2001 out of Spain, Pau was a 6x All-Star, 2x NBA Champion and Rookie of the Year. For his career, he averaged 17 ppg and 9.2 rpg.
Tony Parker was drafted out of France by the Spurs with the 28th pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, and he became, arguably, the best floor general in team history. He won four NBA titles, was a 6x All-Star and averaged 15.5 ppg and 5.6 apg over his career.
Becky Hammon was a WNBA star who succeeded both as a player and a coach. Playing for the NY Liberty and San Antonio Silver Stars, Hammon averaged 13 ppg and 3.8 apg and was a 6x All-Star during her 16-year WNBA career. She was an assistant coach with the Spurs and became the first-ever female head coach in NBA Summer League history (2015) before moving to the Las Vegas Aces in 2021. A year later she won her first championship.
Then there’s legendary coach, Gregg Popovich. Under coach Pop, the Spurs built a dynasty featuring Hall of Fame players like David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Parker. In his 27 seasons with the team, Popovich has won five NBA titles and became a media darling and unapologetic voice on politics and social issues.
This is an amazing, championship-winning class that deserves to be in the Hall.
