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NBA icons Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups and WNBA legend Seimone Augustus were named among the 14 finalists for this year’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement.
Also nominated was former Los Angeles Lakers guard Michael Cooper, Phoenix Suns all-time leading scorer Walter Davis, former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, and three nominees as contributors – former player and coach Doug Collins, Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon and NBA legend Jerry West, who was enshrined as a player in 1980.
Other finalists include Charles Smith, the winningest high school head coach in Louisiana history; former Kansas coach Marian Washington; Australian guard Michele Timms; three-time NAIA champion at Tennessee A&I Dick Barnett; and six-time AAU champion coach Harley Redin.
Washington, Redin and Timms are all already in the Women´s Basketball Hall of Fame. Timms is also a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame.
‘Unbelievable,’ said Carter. ‘You look in the crowd, you see Hall of Famers, and the opportunity … I mean, you can´t beat that. You can´t beat that. It´s a proud moment.’
NBA icon Vince Carter was the named one of the finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame
Chauncey Billups and Seimone Augustus also lead the list of finalist for this year’s class
Carter is considered one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history and played 22 NBA seasons, the most in league history.
Billups earned the nickname ‘Mr. Big SH๏τ’ during his career for his countless clutch performances with the Detroit Pistons and earned multiple accolades during his 17-year-career.
He was named the MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals after the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers during the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal era, and was a five-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive Team selection.
Billups is now the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers.
Augustus had originally been picked No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Lynx in 2006 and went on to become a four-time WNBA champion and an eight-time All-Star after winning Rookie of the Year in her first campaign.
She now coaches for the United States Women’s Basketball team.
‘Every year is new. Every year is different. We´re very happy with this group,’ said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame. ‘And hopefully, we´re going to have great results in terms of voting.’
Record setting Wisconsin Badgers basketball coach Bo Ryan was also one of the finalist
That voting takes place in the coming weeks, with the Class of 2024 set to be unveiled at the Final Four in Phoenix on April 6. The class will be enshrined on Aug. 17 in Springfield, Mᴀssachusetts.
Colangelo said he was pleased to see diversity within the group of finalists – men, women, big-name players and small-college coaches among them.
‘It´s an honor that reflects not only individual greatness but also the long-lasting impact on the game itself,’ Colangelo said of being a finalist. ‘From the strategic brilliance of coaches to the unmatched abilities of players and the influential roles of a coach-broadcaster, an esteemed owner, and a dynasty-building executive, each finalist embodies the pinnacle of basketball excellence.’
Nominees were announced in December. Among those who did not make the cut this year – Penny Hardaway, and the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team dubbed the ‘Redeem Team’ after winning gold in Beijing four years after the Americans finished third at the Athens Games.
