On Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, 12 legends will be inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The honorees in the Class of 2019, which was announced at the site of the 2019 NCAA Men's Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota, are:
- Two-time NBA Coach of the Year Bill Fitch
- Eight-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member Bobby Jones
- Five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief
- Seven-time NBA All-Star Jack Sikma
- Five-time WNBA All-Star Teresa Weatherspoon
- Five-time NBA All-Star Paul Westphal
- Al Attles from the Contributor Committee
- Charles Cooper from the Early African American Pioneers Committee
- Vlade Divac from the International Committee
- Carl Braun from the Veterans Committee
- Wayland Baptist Flying Queens of 1948-1982 from the newly instated Women's Veterans Committee
- The first men's collegiate team to win back-to-back-to-back championships, the Tennessee A&I Teams of 1957-1959
“The globally celebrated game of basketball would not be what it is today without the many remarkable men and women who have broken barriers and paved the way for future generations,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
“The Class of 2019 is brimming with those who have had a significant historical impact on the game we love. We thank them for their contributions to the game and look forward to honoring them during Enshrinement this fall.”
The Class of 2018 featured the likes of Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Ray Allen and Tina Thompson. The Class of 2020 is expected to be even more loaded, with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant each being eligible, according to Basketball-Reference.