Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki elected to NBA Hall of Fame
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Former NBA superstars Dwyane Wade (left) and Dirk Nowitzki were elected to the NBA Hall of Fame.
PHOTOS: REUTERS, AFP
LOS ANGELES – Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki are among the six people who will make up the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023, ESPN reported on Tuesday night.
The duo will be joined by National Basketball Association (NBA) legends Pau Gasol and Tony Parker, long-time San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and six-time WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) All-Star Becky Hammon.
An official announcement regarding the Class of 2023 will be made on Saturday in Houston at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Final Four tournament.
Wade, 41, played 16 NBA seasons, spending parts of 15 with the Miami Heat. He was a 13-time All-Star and helped the Heat win three titles, being named Finals MVP in 2006.
He also played for the Chicago Bulls in 2016-17 and was briefly with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2017-18 season before being traded back to the Heat in February 2018.
Nowitzki, 44, amassed 31,560 points to rank sixth on the all-time scoring list in 21 seasons – all with the Dallas Mavericks. He was a 14-time All-Star and was named league MVP following the 2006-07 season. He led Dallas to a title in 2011, being named Finals MVP when his Mavericks side took down Wade’s Heat in six games.
“Playing each other twice in an NBA championship, you’re going to walk away with some scars,” Wade had said previously.
“You’re going to walk away with a healthy version of dislike, and a healthy version of how much you respect, and how much love you can have for a competitor. I love the career Dirk has had.”
Spaniard Gasol, 42, and Parker, a 40-year-old from France, were both instrumental in building their respective teams into dynasties. Parker was a four-time champion with San Antonio, while Gasol helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a pair of titles. Gasol had his No. 16 jersey retired by the Lakers earlier in March.
Former Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol during a press conference at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on March 7, 2023.
Popovich has been the Spurs’ coach since 1996, winning five NBA championships. He holds a 1,363-757 regular-season record, good for a .643 winning percentage. The 74-year-old also has the third-most play-off wins by a coach with 170, one behind Pat Riley.
Hammon played 16 WNBA seasons with the New York Liberty (1999-2006) and San Antonio Stars (2007-14).
Following her playing career, the 46-year-old served as an assistant coach for Popovich from 2014-22 and is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, whom she led to a WNBA title in 2022. REUTERS
