Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird highlight Basketball Hall of Fame class
Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are going into the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year, not once but twice, and LeBron James and Chris Paul are part of the group that's headed to the Hall as well, even before their playing careers end.
Anthony and Howard were announced as members of the Class of 2025 on Saturday, as was the 2008 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team they played on — dubbed the "Redeem Team," the one that captured gold at the Beijing Games and started a still-going run of five consecutive Olympic titles and counting for USA Basketball's men's program.
Also selected for enshrinement: WNBA greats Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Bulls coach and two-time NCAA champion Billy Donovan, Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and longtime NBA referee Danny Crawford.
"I made it to the real basketball heaven," Howard said.
Enshrinement weekend is Sept. 5-6 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
"When the call comes and, in my case, I saw Springfield on the phone," Anthony said on the televised announcement. "You know what time it is Springfield is on the phone. You know who it is. You get the phone call and you hear, 'You're in.' And I think for me, it was a burden off of my shoulders."
Donovan won back-to-back titles as a college coach with Florida. Arison oversaw Miami's path to NBA titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013. Crawford worked NBA games for 32 seasons and was picked to work the NBA Finals in 23 of those years.
"For some, this is an individual honor," Arison said. "But for me, this speaks to what our entire Heat family — players, coaches, staff and fans — have built together."
Combined, the five players selected as individuals – Bird, Moore, Fowles, Howard and Anthony – were part of 11 WNBA or NBA championship teams, won 15 Olympic gold medals, made 37 All-NBA or All-WNBA appearances and were named as All-Stars 45 times in their careers.
"Surreal," Bird said of her selection. "I don't think there's any way to really wrap your head around it."
Added Fowles: "I don't think [any] one of us go into this thinking that we're going to be Hall of Famers. You just do your job ... and when it's all said and done, the job is complete and here we are."
The Redeem Team's selection means that Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant — already enshrined as Hall of Famers — essentially now go in for a second time. James and Paul, who are obviously both locks to get into the Hall after they retire, also played for that Olympic team, as did Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Tayshaun Prince.
The Redeem Team had that moniker because it was the team tasked with restoring USA Basketball's place atop the world stage, after the 2004 Olympic team only managed a bronze medal at the Athens Games. The Redeem Team went 8-0 in Beijing, winning those games by an average of 27.9 points.
"USA Basketball is thrilled to see the 2008 U.S. Men's Olympic Team elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. "The Redeem Team's celebrated run in Beijing marks a pivotal moment in U.S. men's Olympic basketball history and has propelled us to five straight gold medals.
"Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, members of that team and individual inductees, are two of the many legends in this Class who have contributed to our organization's success over the last 20-plus years, including Sue Bird, Billy Donovan, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles," Tooley added.
UConn's women's program already had coach Geno Auriemma, Swin Cash (enshrined as a player) and Rebecca Lobo (enshrined as a contributor) in the Hall of Fame, and Bird and Moore going in together will obviously add to what's always a huge weekend in New England.
"They're hall of famers for me, they're hall of famers for their family, they're hall of famers for everybody — they're even hall of famers for UConn haters," Auriemma said. "That's one thing they can all agree on."
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
recommended
Get more from National Basketball Association Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
33 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Braves' Smith-Shawver undergoes Tommy John surgery and Kimbrel elects free agency
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A.J. Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery and Craig Kimbrel elected free agency Monday in the latest pitching moves for the slumping Atlanta Braves. Smith-Shawver had reconstructive surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, knocking the rookie right-hander out for at least the rest of this season. Keith Meister performed the procedure in Arlington, Texas. Kimbrel opted for free agency two days after the Braves had designated the nine-time All-Star reliever for assignment. The Braves had attempted to send Kimbrel outright to their Triple-A Gwinnett affiliate. The Braves announced Smith-Shawver's surgery and Kimbrel's decision before their Monday night game at Milwaukee as they attempted to snap a seven-game skid. Braves officials already had announced May 30 that Smith-Shawver had a torn UCL. He had left a 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies a day earlier and said he felt a 'pop.' Smith-Shawver, 22, had gone 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in nine starts this season. He had struck out 42 batters in 44 1/3 innings. Kimbrel had been attempting to make a comeback with Atlanta, where he spent his first five major league seasons and earned four straight All-Star Game selections from 2011-14. His 186 saves with the Braves are the most in franchise history. The 37-year-old Kimbrel had gone a combined 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 18 combined appearances with Gwinnett and Double-A Columbus this year before getting called up to Atlanta last week. But he pitched just one game with Atlanta before getting designated for assignment. He worked one scoreless inning in the Braves' 5-4, 10-inning loss at San Francisco on Friday. Kimbrel is attempting to rejuvenate his career after a disappointing 2024 season in which he went 7-5 with a 5.33 ERA and 23 saves for the Baltimore Orioles, who released him last September. ___ AP MLB:
Fox Sports
38 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Braves' Smith-Shawver undergoes Tommy John surgery and Kimbrel elects free agency
Associated Press MILWAUKEE (AP) — A.J. Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery and Craig Kimbrel elected free agency Monday in the latest pitching moves for the slumping Atlanta Braves. Smith-Shawver had reconstructive surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, knocking the rookie right-hander out for at least the rest of this season. Keith Meister performed the procedure in Arlington, Texas. Kimbrel opted for free agency two days after the Braves had designated the nine-time All-Star reliever for assignment. The Braves had attempted to send Kimbrel outright to their Triple-A Gwinnett affiliate. The Braves announced Smith-Shawver's surgery and Kimbrel's decision before their Monday night game at Milwaukee as they attempted to snap a seven-game skid. Braves officials already had announced May 30 that Smith-Shawver had a torn UCL. He had left a 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies a day earlier and said he felt a 'pop.' Smith-Shawver, 22, had gone 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in nine starts this season. He had struck out 42 batters in 44 1/3 innings. Kimbrel had been attempting to make a comeback with Atlanta, where he spent his first five major league seasons and earned four straight All-Star Game selections from 2011-14. His 186 saves with the Braves are the most in franchise history. The 37-year-old Kimbrel had gone a combined 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 18 combined appearances with Gwinnett and Double-A Columbus this year before getting called up to Atlanta last week. But he pitched just one game with Atlanta before getting designated for assignment. He worked one scoreless inning in the Braves' 5-4, 10-inning loss at San Francisco on Friday. Kimbrel is attempting to rejuvenate his career after a disappointing 2024 season in which he went 7-5 with a 5.33 ERA and 23 saves for the Baltimore Orioles, who released him last September. ___ AP MLB: recommended
Newsweek
40 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Blockbuster Trade Idea Sees Lakers Land Lauri Markkanen
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Los Angeles Lakers have a critical summer ahead of them. There will be a ton on the Lakers' plate, and as the NBA season winds down, they will be at the forefront of the offseason. More Lakers news: Lakers Could Miss Out on Star Center The Lakers are a polarizing team, and as always, they are projected to make a significant move to bolster their roster. That will be no different this offseason, as they could be in line to trade for a star big man. It is clear that the Lakers need to bolster their frontcourt, particularly at the center position. L.A. lacked a solid center after it traded Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic. While the trade helps them in the long run, it certainly hurts them in the short term. That was evident in the playoffs, but with the season over and the offseason ahead, the Lakers could make a massive trade. In this hypothetical scenario laid out by NBA writer Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report, the Lakers manage to acquire All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz. Here's how the proposed deal is structured: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks handles the ball defended by Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz during the second half at Madison Square Garden on January 01, 2025 in New York... Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks handles the ball defended by Lauri Markkanen #23 of the Utah Jazz during the second half at Madison Square Garden on January 01, 2025 in New York City. More Photo byLos Angeles Lakers Receive: F Lauri Markkanen Utah Jazz Receive: F Rui Hachimura, G/F Dalton Knecht, PG Gabe Vincent, F Maxi Kleber, 2031 first-round pick (unprotected) "The Lakers will always be on the hunt for stars, yet are limited in trade assets after acquiring Luka Dončić at the deadline. Markkanen is probably the best level of player Los Angeles can reasonably acquire and would be a strong third option behind Dončić and LeBron James. "Adding a 7-footer who can play either forward position and fill short bursts as a stretch-5 gives the Lakers a ton of versatility with their lineups and helps an offense that ranked 12th out of 16 teams this postseason." In the scenario, the Lakers lose four key players, but it only costs them one of their two first-round picks available for trade. The first-round pick in this scenario is the 2031 pick, the only one that the Charlotte Hornets offered for Mark Williams before that deal was rescinded. It is a hefty price still; however, Markkanen could be a player who helps the Lakers on both sides of the ball. While his durability is a question mark, having not played over 60 games in the past two seasons. Nevertheless, there is no denying his talent, as evidenced by his career scoring average of 18.2 points per game. Markkanen could be the piece to take the Lakers to the next level, and this trade would open up the books for the Lakers to get creative in free agency. More NBA news: Celtics Given Big Update on Kristaps Porzingis Future Mavericks Narrowing Options for 2025 No 1 Draft Choice For more Los Angeles Lakers news and NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
