Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 2023: Nowitzki, Wade lead list of finalists

Forward Dirk Nowitzki and shooting guard Dwyane Wade will headline the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame finalists. The Hall announced the final 12 selections Friday, featuring both familiar and unlikely candidates in the Class of 2023.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo acknowledged the inclusion of many first-time candidates in the 2023 roster, praising the diversity of backgrounds among the finalists and calling it a “loaded class.”

“I think this is unique in that we have a lot of first-time people and it’s unusual when somebody makes it on the first ballot.”

Jerry Colangelo, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame chairman

“But this is going to be that unique class because there could be four or five first-timers. So, I’m very excited about it,” Colangelo said.

Wade and Nowitzki have outstanding reputations for their respective teams, with Wade representing the Miami Heat and Nowitzki standing for the Dallas Mavericks. Both players are considered the best in their franchise’s history, with multiple championships and Most Valuable Player (MVP) titles.

Other notable names on the finalist roster include guard Tony Parker and big man Pau Gasol. The list also features several coaches, including five-time NBA champion Gregg Popovich and 560-game winner Marian Washington.

Nowitzki and Wade’s accomplishments

The Hall of Fame finalist listings bring Nowitzki and Wade together once again, following their rivalry in two separate NBA finals. Both are highly accomplished in their fields, with Nowitzki and Wade earning 14-time and 13-time All-Star honors, respectively.

Nowitzki spent 21 years with the Dallas Mavericks before his retirement in 2019. He was named the NBA MVP for the 2006-2007 season and the 2011 Finals MVP, and currently stands sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He is also the first non-American player to win the Naismith Legacy Award.

Wade played for the Miami Heat from 2003-2016 before briefly joining the Chicago Bulls from 2016-2017 and the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2017-2018. He returned to the Miami Heat to finish his final year as a player, retiring in 2019. Wade won the NBA championship three times and was the NBA Finals MVP in 2006.

Other notable nominees

Tony Parker and Pau Gasol also made the Hall of Fame finalist listing, along with other notable retired players like Jennifer Azzi and Becky Hammon. Five coaches joined the list, including Gregg Popovich, David Hixon, Gene Keady, Gene Bess, Marian Washington, and Gary Blair.

Parker represented the San Antonio Spurs as a six-time All-Star player. He won four NBA championship titles and was the 2007 Finals MVP.

Gasol played for the Los Angeles Lakers and is also a six-time All-Star player. He is widely recognized for leading the Lakers to consecutive championship victories and becoming the fourth player to score 20,000 points in the NBA.

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Azzi played for her Stanford Cardinal college team as an internationally acclaimed player, winning gold in the 1996 Olympic Games and the 1998 FIBA World Championships. She also received induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

Hammon is a legend in women’s basketball, playing for several teams during her 13-year player career and currently coaching the Las Vegas Aces. She’s a six-time All-Star in the Women’s NBA.

Meanwhile, among coaches, Popovich shines as one of the brightest in the NBA. He led the Spurs for nearly two decades. In 2022, he was recognized as the winningest coach in NBA history. Popovich is one of only five coaches in history to lead more than five NBA championships.