Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki Headline 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Class, per Report
An illustrious list headlines the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2023.
Headlining the lineup are former NBA superstars Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol and Tony Parker. Current San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich as well as former WNBA star and current Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon round out the inductees, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
An official announcement regarding the induction class will take place on Saturday during the NCAA men's basketball Final Four from NRG Stadium in Houston.
Wade, arguably the best shooting guard of all-time, enjoyed 16 seasons in the NBA. The dynamic scorer won three championships (2006, 2012, 2013) with the Heat while earning 13 All-Star selections.
Nowitzki ranks sixth on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 31,550 points after playing 20 seasons with the Mavericks. Widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards to ever step on the court, Nowitzki helped lead Mark Cuban’s franchise to an NBA championship in 2011.
Gasol, who played for the Grizzlies, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs and Bucks, is most widely known for his time spent in Los Angeles. The powerful front-line talent won two titles (2009 and ’10) teaming up with all-time great Kobe Bryant.
Popovich, who is the NBA's all-time leader with 1,363 wins, has won five NBA championships as coach of the Spurs (1999, 2003, ’05, ’07 and ’14).
Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star (2003, 2005–2007, 2009, 2011), guided the Las Vegas Aces to a WNBA title. Hammon’s Aces are the betting favorites at odds of +120 to repeat as champions in 2023.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2023 enshrinement ceremony will take place on Saturday, Aug. 12, in Springfield, Massachusetts.