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Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade and the rest of Class of 2023 Inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

August 15, 2023

It official, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Dwyane Wade are officially HOFers, since they have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with the rest of the Class of 2023.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2023 on Saturday, August 12, 2023, at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts. The class included five players, six coaches, and the 1976 U.S. Olympic women’s team.

The inducted players are:

  • Dwyane Wade, a 13-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion who spent majority of his entire career with the Miami Heat. He also won NBA Finals MVP (2006) and NBA All-Star Game MVP (2010)

  • Dirk Nowitzki, a 14-time All-Star and one-time NBA champion and Finals MVP (2011) who spent his entire 21-year career with the Dallas Mavericks. He also member of the 50–40–90 club in 2007.

  • Pau Gasol, a six-time All-Star who won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant and took home the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2002.

  • Tony Parker, a four-time NBA champion who spent his entire 18-year career with the San Antonio Spurs. He is also NBA Finals MVP (2007) and 6-time NBA All-Star.

  • Becky Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star who won the WNBA championships with the Las Vegas Aces and named as WNBA Coach of the Year in 2022.

The inducted coaches are:

  • Gregg Popovich, a five-time NBA champion as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs and considered as the winningest coach in NBA history with a 1364-759 record. He is also a three-time NBA Coach of the Year in 2003, 2012 and 2014.

  • Jim Valvano, a two-time champion for both national and regular season at North Carolina State who is best known for his “Never Give Up” speech in the 1983 NCAA championship game. He died at age 47 on April 28, 1993, less than two months after his famous ESPY speech, following a nearly year long battle with cancer of unknown origin.
  • Gene Keady, a seven-time Big Ten coach of the year at Purdue and considered as the winningest coach in Big Ten history.
  • Gary Blair, he lead the Texas A&M to a NCAA national championship in 2011 and listed in the top 35 of the all-time winningest NCAA Division I women’s basketball coaches, and he is one of the few coaches to guide three different schools to national rankings and NCAA Tournament berths.
  • Gene Bess, led Three Rivers to the junior college national championship and the first college basketball coach to reach 1,000 wins in college basketball history.

The 1976 U.S. Olympic women’s team was inducted as a team. The team won the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, becoming the first women’s basketball team to win an Olympic gold medal. The induction ceremony was attended by over 7,000 fans. The inductees were all given a warm welcome and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

NBA announces the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023

April 3, 2023

NBA just named the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of (HoF) 2023, lead by Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade and Spurs head Coach Gregg Popovich.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will have three of the NBA’s all-time international greats; Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Pau Gasol, joining them are Dwyane Wade, Becky Hammon and Gregg Popovich. Also include in the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 are; former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano, the 1976 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team, former Purdue coach Gene Keady, former Texas A&M women’s coach Gary Blair, longtime coach at Division III Amherst David Hixon, and Gene Bess – who won 1,300 games as a junior college coach at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Most if not all of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023 are interconnected together; Tony Parker, Becky Hammon and Gregg Popovich all worked together for the San Antonio Spurts; Parker as a Player, while Becky Hammon is the assistant coach for Spurs Head coach Gregg Popovich. Under Head Coach Popovich, Tony Parker won four (4) the NBA Championship (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014), it was in 2014 when Becky Hammon joined the Spurs as an assistant coach.

Also in 2014, where the Spurs faced and won against Dwyane Wade’ Miami Heat in just 5 games. Dwyane Wade won his first championship while with the Miami Heat against Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in 2006, coincidentally Dirk Nowitzki became an NBA champion against Miami Heat’s big three; Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Lebron James in 2011.

Paul Gasol, Spain’s longtime star won all two of his NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers playing alongside Kobe Bryant.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2023 will receive their HoF jackets and rings on Aug. 11 in Uncasville, Connecticut, then the ceremony and their speeches will be on Aug. 12 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Source: NBA