The former NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, together with the former women’s star Sue Bird, highlighted a decorated group in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class from 2025 on Saturday.
The women’s stars Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, head coach Billy Donovan, Micky Arison, referee Danny Crawford, Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, were also recorded.
Anthony and Howard were members of the 2008 US Olympic team.
The class was announced on Saturday at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio.
The Enshrinement Weekend begins on September 5 in Uncasville, Connecticut, while the Enshrinement ceremony takes place the following day in Springfield, Massachusetts.
“The Hall of Fame is enthusiastic to celebrate the class of 2025, a group that left a profound brand in sports at every level,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naishith Basketball Hall of Fame. “This year’s class embodies excellence, innovation and a permanent passion for basketball-see through groundbreaking achievements, leadership on the edge or the design of the global range of sport. We look forward to honoring this class and its permanent contributions to the game.”
Anthony occupies 10th place in NBA history with 28,289 career points and was a 10-time all-star. He won three Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016), led Syracuse to the NCAA title 2003 and was recorded in 2021 to the 75th anniversary team of the NBA.
“When the call comes and saw Springfield on the phone in my case,” said Anthony on ESPN. “You know how late it is when Springfield is on the phone. You know who it is. You get the call and hear: ‘You are in.’ And I think it was a load from my shoulders.
Howard, who was chosen as a first ballot member, was a three-time NBA defensive player of the year (2009-11) and an eight-time all-star. With 14,627 career pieces in the NBA history, he occupies the 10th place and the 13th place with 2,228 blocked shots.
Bird won five Olympic gold medals (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020), four WNBA titles and two college crowns at Uconn. It was a 13-fold WNBA all-star and holds the career assist record of the league of 3,234.
Donovan trains the Chicago Bulls after he had previously managed the Oklahoma City Thunder and after a victory on Friday 434 victories had regular season wins. He also led Florida to two consecutive NCAA titles (2006, 2007) and collected 502 college victories.
The 2008 US Olympic team went 8-0 while winning the gold medal and enforced an average of 27.9 points. The co-captains were Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Dwyane Wade, while other members belonged to LeBron James, Chris Paul as well as Anthony and Howard.
“USA basketball is enthusiastic that the Olympic team of the US men from 2008 will be elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame,” said Jim Tooley, CEO of USA Basketball. “The famous run in Beijing of the salvation team marks a decisive moment in the Olympic basketball history of the US men and has brought us to five gold medals in a row.”
Moore led the Minnesota Lynx to four WNBA titles (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and won two NCAA titles at Uconn and recorded two Olympic gold medals.
Fowles won four Olympic gold medals, which was retired as the leading rebounder of the WNBA (4,006) before he was passed and was an eight-time WNBA all-star and two WNBA champion.
Arison has had the Miami Heat since 1995 and headed three titles (2006, 2012, 2013).
“This is an individual honor for some. But for me this speaks for what our entire heat family – players, coaches, employees and fans – have built up together,” said Arison.
Crawford was an NBA referee from 1985 to 2017 and in over 2,000 games of the regular season and 300 playoff games, including the NBA final in 23 in a row.
-Media on the Level field
