2026 Hall Of Fame Inductees Officially Announced

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame officially unveiled its Class of 2026 today, prior to the kick-off of the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Many of the names listed had been previously reported, such as Bucks’ head coach Doc Rivers, former Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni, and a trio of both men’s and women’s players in Amar’e Stoudemire, Elena Delle Donne, and Candace Parker.

The rest of the class has now been released. On the men’s side, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few has been recognized for his storied collegiate coaching career. The press release calls the two-time Naismith Coach of the Year “The winningest active coach by winning percentage” and notes that he “has recorded at least 20 wins in every season as Gonzaga’s head coach.” Few was also the assistant coach on the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning men’s basketball team.

Referee Joey Crawford is the final inductee on the men’s side. Crawford refereed in the NBA for 39 seasons, from 1977 to 2016, including every NBA Finals from 1986 to 2015. His record includes 2561 regular-season games and 374 playoff games.

Also being inducted for women’s basketball is Chamique Holdsclaw, the six-time All-Star and former number one pick and Rookie of the Year in 1999 for the Washington Mystics. Holdsclaw, who is a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame as well, was an Olympic gold medalist in 2000, a two-time Naismith College player of the Year, and won three NCAA championships with Tennessee. She led the WNBA in scoring in 2002, led the league in rebounding twice, and made three All-WNBA teams.

Finally, the 1996 United States Women’s National Team rounds out the 2026 Hall of Fame class. The group, coached by Tara VanDerveer and featuring Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley, Teresa Edwards, Rebecca Lobo, and Katrina McClain, went 8-and-0 in competition and won by an average of over 30 points per game. In its press conference, the Hall of Fame cites its team dominance as partially responsible for the launch of the WNBA later the same year.