Basketball is, without a doubt, one of the world’s leading sports of all time. To celebrate its more than a century of history, popularity, prestige, and worth, there lies the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Following the star-studded honorees in the Class of 2020, notably NBA legends Tamika Catching, Tim Duncan, and the late Kobe Bryant, meet on this page the 16 honorees of the Class of 2021. There are 10 players, 3 coaches, and 3 contributors.
North American and Women’s Committee
Rick Adelman (coach)
Born in 1964, Adelman’s coaching career spans across for more than three decades. Adding to his impressive overall coaching record of 1042-749 (.582), he won the NBA All-Star Game head coach thrice.
Chris Bosh (player)
Bosh is a remarkably consistent player, where he only played for the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat across his entire career. He is an 11-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA Champion with the latter team. With more players like him on the rise, it’d certainly be worth it to bet on basketball with Bitcoin.
Yolanda Griffith (player)
Known as one of the greatest rebounders and defensive players in women’s basketball, Griffith is a seven-time WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Lauren Jackson (player)
Jackson is also a seven-time WNBA All-Star player. Adding to her achievements are three WNBA MVPs and two WNBA Championships with the Seattle Storm.
Paul Pierce (player)
With a 19-year career history, Pierce is a 10-time NBA All-Star who was among the greatest scorers in the 2000s and a valuable player, most notably to the Boston Celtics.
Bill Russell (coach)
Russel was born to be a Celtics-man. He spent his entire playing career as a centre for the Boston Celtics. While a decorated player, he is an inductee as a coach for being the first black coach in the NBA and the first to win a championship.
Ben Wallace (player)
Awards aside, Wallace is quite well-known for his defensive prowess and is one of the best free agents in the history of the NBA.
Chris Webber (player)
Webber rose to prominence during his Fab Five days. The highly skilled forward is a five-time NBA All-Star, five-time All-NBA team member, and the 1994 NBA Rookie of the Year, to name a few.
Jay Wright (coach)
Wright is one of the greatest, most reliable and awarded coaches in the NCAA. He is widely credited for creating a powerhouse at Villanova University.
Contributor
Val Ackerman
Currently as the commissioner of the Big East Conference, former lawyer and basketball player Ackerman is best known for being the first president of the WNBA.
Lowell Gibbs ‘Cotton’ Fitzsimmons
The late Fitzsimmons was an NBA and American college basketball coach who was known as one of the 15 coaches with 800 or more wins.
Howard Garfinkel
Garkinfel co-founded and was the longtime director of the Five-Star Basketball Camp. He was responsible for the sport’s practice of scouting, recruiting, and coaching development.
Veterans Committee: Bob Dandridge (player)
Dandridge won NBA Championships twice and was a four-time NBA All-Star player. The shooting guard retired with a remarkable record of 15,530 points.
Women’s Veterans Committee: Pearl Moore (player)
Moore is a four-time AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) Small College All-American. Her record of 4,061 points makes her the all-time highest scorer in women’s college basketball.
International Committee: Toni Kukoč (player)
Croatian-born Kukoč is one of the first successful European stars to have ever graced the NBA. He was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1996 and a three-time NBA Champion.
Early African-American Pioneers Committee: Clarence ‘Fats’ Jenkins (player)
Jenkins was a pro baseball and basketball player. Born in 1898, at the age where sports were racially divided, he played left field in baseball’s Negro leagues and a captain in basketball’s the New York Renaissance.
Class of 2021 ceremony
The Class of 2021’s enshrinement ceremony will take place on 11 September 2021 in Springfield. In the meantime, let’s carry on the thrill of the sport as you bet on basketball with Bitcoin.