The Basketball Hall of Fame has selected eight finalists for the 2020 class. This year’s Hall-of-Famers will be officially announced in April. Let’s take a look at the candidates:
Kobe Bryant
Bryant, who tragically passed away late last month, helped the Lakers bring home five NBA championships. He took home the Finals MVP on two of those occasions. He was selected to 18 NBA All-Star games during his career in Los Angeles.
Tim Duncan
Duncan, who is currently an assistant coach with the Spurs, brought San Antonio five NBA championships during his time in the league. He won Finals MVP three times and was named to 15 All-Star games.
Kevin Garnett
Garnett won a championship upon arriving in Boston. Over the course of his career, the big man was named to 15 NBA All-Star games and nine All-Defensive First Teams. He played for the Wolves, Celtics, and Nets in his career.
Tamika Catchings
Catchings won a WNBA championship during her time with the Indiana Fever. She was selected to 10 WNBA All-Star games and won four Olympic Gold Medals for Team USA during her playing days.
Rudy Tomjanovich
Tomjanovich is just one of three coaches to win an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal. He coached the Rockets to two championships in the early 90’s and had a nice career as a player prior to that, as he was selected to five NBA All-Star games.
Kim Mulkey
Mulkey is the first person to win a National Championship as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. She played point guard for Louisiana Tech in the early 80’s and has coached at both Louisiana Tech and Baylor.
Eddie Sutton
Sutton coached in the college ranks for 36 years. He was the coach of the year four times in his career and he took two different teams—Arkansas, Oklahoma State (2x)—to the Final Four.
Barbara Stevens
Stevens is only the fifth coach in NCAA women’s basketball history to achieve over 1,000 career wins. She has led Clark University, UMass, and Bentley throughout her coaching career.
NBA should have its only hall of fame
They need a Pro Basketball HOF at least. Let’s weed out all of the high school / college coaches and and the high school / college accomplishments by coaches and players.
Why, the other three major sports HOF’s include more than just individuals from the pro league. Are you taking Negro League players out of Cooperstown to make it an MLB HOF?
Blacks weren’t allowed to play MLB. Big difference.
Rudy T not being in already is a crime.
Matt Bullard says it’s a travesty that Rudy T’s not in the HOF.
Matt Bullard says it’s a travesty that Rudy T’s not in the HOF.
He’s got more than a puncher’s chance at getting in this year
Let them all in.
Kobe Bryant died? When did that happen? We really need some kind of media coverage of events like that.
Settle down.
completely uncalled for. shame on you.
Oh, get off the high horse.
Based on how much garbage you post on here, I’d like to think you’re the kind of guy who gets smacked a lot. But then, I doubt you have enough social interaction to get to that point with anyone anyway.
Really? Is that necessary? It’s a joke. If you can’t handle it, then the problem is yours, not mine.
Kim is a she.
Wow, saw that
So three of the eight finalists are women?
LaTech is/was a lady’s titleist, not a men’s.
The first five should be in; unsure about Kim.
Interesting the Sutton bio does not include mention of the recruiting scandals under his regime that resulted in Kentucky being prohibited from appearing in two post seasons and being on probation for three years. But then this hall of fame has always been a college coach’s club and not a college player’s club. It is shameful that Purdue’s Rick Mount is not in the hall of fame as an all time great college player during a golden era for the game while college coaches with checkered histories are considered worthy.
And Christian Laettner should be in due to his college accomplishments.
Not gonna lie: I’m kinda surprised Chris Bosh wasn’t a finalist. I thought he’d make it along with Kobe/KG/Duncan
Bosh was a good player, and probably will get in, but he deserves better than to be the undercard for arguably the three biggest entrants of the 1990s/2000s generation.
They should really let Kermit Washington induct Rody T. It could serve as a closure to one of the worst incidents in NBA history.
Kim Mulley is a woman, SHE played point guard at La Tech
Should just have Kobe go in this year by himself. He will overshadow anyone else going in and others will be an after thought.
Pretty sure Duncan would be ok with that.
Duncan and Garnett don’t matter. It’s all about Kobe.
I’m sorry but it’s not fair to make it to be just for Kobe because of his tragic death.
Had Kobe not passed away, would you be saying the same thing about KG/Duncan not deserving of being in? Not a chance.
No, that’s stupid. We have grieved plenty for Kobe, and there will be more of it on that day, but it’s a day to honor the greats.
Good point…agree
No way for Eddie Sutton, too many NCAA violations.
I didn’t know Tamika had Indian Fever. Did she get it from a blanket?
Kobe, Garnett, Duncan are shoo-ins. Rudy T belongs also but not sure it’ll happen. The others mentioned are a waste of time.
So no women allowed? Catchings is the #3 alltime wnba scorer. This HOF has spread its nets wide.
Kobe, Garnett, and Duncan is one hell of a trifecta.
No Chris Webber or Chris Bosh is a joke
It is such a JOKE that Christian Laettner has not been nominated and inducted into the Hall of Fame. All you Duke and Laettner haters out there, GET OVER IT! The records and stats speak for themselves! It’s not solely about the NBA which he did sufficiently as well!! He is the GOAT of NCAA basketball as far as many are concerned!!!