Blake Griffin, Candace Parker, Jamal Crawford, the 1996 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team, Bruce Pearl and Kelvin Sampson were among the first-time nominees announced Friday that will be considered for enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next year.
Also among the notable first-time nominees: Elena Delle Donne and Joe Johnson as players, and Mike D’Antoni as a contributor.
Nearly 200 players and teams were on the list unveiled by the Hall on ESPN’s NBA Live show, including some finalists that fell short of enshrinement in the 2025 class – including Jennifer Azzi, who was a member of that 1996 U.S. women’s team that won gold at the Atlanta Games. Azzi is a nominee again as an individual this year.
«The candidates for the Class of 2026 have each left an indelible impact on the game of basketball,» said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. «Through defining performances, influential leadership, and achievements that helped elevate the sport on the national and international stage, this year’s ballot recognizes those whose legacy continues to shape how the game is played, coached, and celebrated.»
Finalists are typically announced at NBA All-Star weekend in February. The 2026 class will be unveiled April 4 at the NCAA Final Four, with enshrinement weekend Aug. 14 and 15 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut and at Symphony Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Other finalists a year ago who are back on the ballot include Gonzaga coach Mark Few; NBA legends Marques Johnson and Buck Williams; and Jerry Welsh – who coached Potsdam in upstate New York to NCAA Division III titles in 1981 and 1986.
Molly Bolin, the first player signed by the Women’s Professional Basketball League, is back as well, as is former Serbian professional player and longtime coach Dusan Ivkovic – already a FIBA Hall of Famer.
Doc Rivers, the only NBA coach with more than 1,000 wins who isn’t yet in the Hall of Fame, is a nominee again, as are Amar’e Stoudemire and legendary broadcaster Marv Albert.
Some teams that will also be considered include the 1936, 1972 and 1976 U.S. Olympic men’s teams; the 1982 Cheyney State team coached by C. Vivian Stringer that lost to Louisiana Tech in the inaugural NCAA Division I women’s national championship game; the Kentucky Wesleyan men’s teams that won three Division II national titles in a four-year span of the late 1960s; and the 1963 Loyola Chicago men’s team that won the NCAA title and broke racial barriers in the sport by using as many as four Black starters.
