Former NBA and WNBA royalty Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard and former women’s star Sue Bird are among the 17 finalists for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
Coaches Billy Donovan and Mark Few and the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s team also are among the 17 finalists selected Friday. The new class will be announced on April 5 during the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.
Also named finalists are former NBA players Marques Johnson and Buck Williams, official Danny Crawford, coach Jerry Welsh and women’s players Jennifer Azzi, Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore.
Selected from the women’s veterans committee was former player Molly Bolin, the international committee pushed forth former coach Dusan Ivkovic and the contributors committee nominated Micky Arison (owner) and Tal Brody (ambassador).
“Selection as a Finalist for the Class of 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is a remarkable achievement, signifying a career of excellence and lasting influence on the game,” Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a news release. “This recognition goes beyond statistics and accolades — it honors those who have defined eras, inspired generations, and elevated basketball through their talent, leadership, and dedication.
“Whether as players, coaches, teams, or contributors, each Finalist has left an indelible mark on the sport, and we are proud to celebrate their extraordinary impact.”
The induction ceremonies will take place on September 6 at Springfield, Massachusetts.
Anthony ranks 10th all-time in NBA history with 28,289 career points and was a 10-time All-Star. He captured three Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016), led Syracuse to their only NCAA title in 2003 against the Kansas Jayhawks and was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team in 2021.
Howard was a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2009-11) and eight-time All-Star. He was a rebounding machine, finishing his career 10th all-time in NBA history with 14,627 career rebounds and 13th with 2,228 blocked shots.
Bird won five Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020), four WNBA titles as a member of the Seattle Storm and two college crowns at UConn under all-time winningest coach Geno Auriemma. She was a 13-time WNBA All-Star and holds the league’s career assists record of 3,234.
Donovan coaches the Chicago Bulls after previously leading the Oklahoma City Thunder and has 421 regular-season victories under his belt. He also led the Florida Gators to consecutive NCAA titles (2006, 2007) while registering 502 college wins.
Few guided Gonzaga to the NCAA title game on a pair of occasions (2017, 2021) and was the second fastest coach in Division I history to reach the 700 wins plateau. He has been the model of consistency when it comes to trotting out good teams, winning 20 games with the Bulldogs in 25 consecutive seasons.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe 2008 U.S. Olympic team, coached by Mike Krzyzewski, went a perfect 8-0 while winning the gold medal and routed the competition by an average of 27.9 points. The co-captains were the late, great Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Dwyane Wade and other members included LeBron James, Chris Paul, Anthony and Howard.
Johnson helped UCLA win the NCAA title in 1975 under legendary coach John Wooden and was a five-time NBA All-Star, while Williams made his name as an elite rebounder and defender while starring for the New Jersey Nets and Portland Trail Blazers with the latter club reaching the NBA Finals in 1990 against Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons and 1992 versus Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, falling both times..
Crawford was a standout NBA referee for 32 years, from 1985-2017 and officiated in over 2,000 regular-season contests and 300 playoff games, including being chosen to work the NBA Finals in 23 consecutive seasons. Welsh led SUNY Potsdam to the 1981 Division III title and two other Final Four appearances and later coached at Division I Iona.
Azzi led Stanford to the 1990 NCAA title and won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics. Fowles won four Olympic gold medals, retired as the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder (4,006) before being eclipsed and was an eight-time WNBA All-Star and two-time WNBA champion. She was drafted out of LSU by the Chicago Sky. Moore led the Minnesota Lynx to four WNBA titles (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and won two NCAA titles at UConn and picked up two Olympic gold medals along the way.
Bolin was known as “Machine Gun” Molly for her scoring prowess and set a Women’s Professional Basketball League single-game record with 55 points on March 2, 1980. Ivkovic is a Serbian coach who won EuroLeague titles in 1997 and 2012 and was elected to the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Arison has owned the Miami Heat since 1995 and has overseen three titles (2006, 2012, 2013). Brody won 10 Israeli League titles as a player for Maccabi Tel Aviv after being an All-American for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
