Longtime NBA head coach Mike D’Antoni will be among the inductees in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2026, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link).
D’Antoni was selected as a finalist for the 2026 class in February. He’ll technically be inducted as a contributor.
A 6’3″ guard who played parts of four NBA seasons in the 1970s, D’Antoni is most well known for his time coaching the “seven seconds or less” Suns from 2003-08. He helped Phoenix go 253-136 (.650) in the regular season over that span, and make back-to-back trips to the Western Conference finals in 2005 and 2006.
The 74-year-old also had a successful four-year run with the Rockets at the end of his career, guiding Houston to a 217-101 regular season record (.682 win-loss percentage). Houston’s best playoff finish under D’Antoni was a seven-game Western Conference finals loss to Golden State, which went on to win the title.
D’Antoni’s head coaching stops with the Nuggets (14-36 in a lockout season in 1998/99), Knicks (121-167 record over parts of four seasons) and Lakers (67-87 over parts of two seasons) were less successful. Overall, his teams compiled a 672-527 regular season record across 16 seasons. His playoff record is 54-56.
A West Virginia native who played his college ball at Marshall, D’Antoni was a head coach in Italy for several years and had NBA assistant jobs with Denver, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Brooklyn. He was also a coaching advisor for New Orleans from 2021-25 and won a pair of medals with Team USA as an assistant (bronze at the 2006 FIBA World Cup and gold at the 2012 London Olympics).
D’Antoni will be inducted the same year as Amar’e Stoudemire, the former NBA big man who had his best years playing under D’Antoni. Doc Rivers, Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne will reportedly be inducted in 2026 as well.
I can name 15-30 coaches better than him off the top of my head.. this is very confusing to me lol.. I guess Erik Spoelstra was a HOFer 15 years ago by this standard?
If Erik Spoelstra retired today he is a future Hall of Famer without a doubt but this wasn’t directly for D’Antoni’s coaching. D’Antoni is being inducted for his contributions. His overseas contributions as a player and coach are numerous, he was an assistant coach for two medal teams. He helped innovative sevens seconds or less and pace, heliocentric offenses and pace and space.
I specifically said 15 years ago because Spoelstra created “positionless basketball” in 2011 when he taught Chris Bosh to shoot 3’s and Lebron James to post up.. its why people like Nikola Jokic, Wembanyama, and Joel Embiid are who they are today
Wrong. Don Nelson created position less basketball in 1976. The Point Forward was his baby.
did I say “point forward”? no…. I said positionless basketball… I don’t remember chris mullin playing a stretch 5, neither Tim Hardaway or Mitch Richmond were posting up anyone… and Shawn Bradley putting up 3’s? in Nellie’s offense?.. do you remember any of that? lol… Chris Bosh was playing 3-5 every night. Lebron was playing 1-4 every night (sometimes even 5)… Wade was a 1-3… Chalmers played on and off ball… that was the point… you couldn’t defend them because you didn’t know what was coming. Without the 2010-14 heat Wembanyama doesn’t shoot outside of 5 feet… Embiid is a wanna be shaq, and Jokic probably never gets drafted at all.
Don Nelson started playing position less basketball in the 70s because Kareem left and he wanted to keep his job. Switching on defense was part of his style of play. The Point Forward is a Power Forward taking on the play making role of a Point Guard. Nelson pioneered that. 3 pointers weren’t allowed in the NBA until the merger. So, players had no experience shooting them. It takes time to develop the shot. Ironically, it was the idea of the first great big man, George Mikan.
Jeremy, I see what you’re saying and I’m not arguing but Tim Hardaway posted up all the time. He was often quoted as their best post scorer and took advantage when going against the other team’s point guard if that makes any sense at all. I remember those days like it was yesterday.
The other things you point out are all correct as far as what I remember. Just wanted to bring up the Tim Hardaway thing. Those were some great days in a lot of dark decades for Golden State.
Giant, Yeah, but it was more like 1982 with Paul Pressey.
OK, I’ll mention one more thing but it’s not to argue. It’s just to remember the good old days lol…
Don Nelson was such an innovator. He had Manute Bol shooting threes and it was actually an effective scoring weapon for the team. That was either the late 80s or early 90s.
Can you name the teams that copied what he did for me? Can you name the HOF caliber players that completely changed their mindset and playing style because of things he did? Can you name the generation of players that changed the entire league because of Don Nelson’s coaching method? Did Hakeem Olajuwon become a long range shooter? Was Patrick Ewing stretching the floor in the 80’s? Hell.. did the guy you mentioned.. Kareem do anything different in LA than he did on the Bucks? lol …. now ask all those same questions post “heatles”.. the entire NBA copied that style (for better or worse)… it ended careers (Dwight Howard, Andre Drummond, etc) and made others all-time greats (the names I mentioned before)
You missed the point. Don Nelson’s coaching strategies employed small ball, positionless basketball, switching with the Bucks back in the 70s. He paved the way for other coaches.
Dirk Nowitski is considered to be the first stretch 4. Don Nelson traded for him on draft day when he was GM/Headcoach of the Mavs. Once again, he paved the way for what teams employ now.
dirk Nowitzki was the first stretch 4!?!??! TOM CHMABERS MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?!?! Kevin McHale… hell even Charles Barkley would shoot from distance regularly….. wow
Chambers shot .307 for his career. Dirk shot .380 for his career.
now stats matter more than what they did as a player?! You just said his entire career didn’t happen dude lol
The coach who actually brought back small ball in NBA. Perfected the Pick-n-Roll with Nash.
Was responsible for Linsanity.
Was a top PG in Euro ball and a coaching legend in Italy. He was first Euro coach to coach in NBA.
Well deserved honor.
Congratulations coach D’Atoni 🙏
The lack of talented 7 footers had more to do with small ball returning than D’ Antoni.
Don Nelson>D’ Antoni
Learn what small ball is. Nelson played smaller lineups. But always used a true center. And he played for Celtics who invented small ball.
He coached the Suns from 2003–2008. He went up against Robinson and Duncan. Shaq, Yao, Wallace, O neal , Howard must I go on. Hope U wipe your mouth with 4-ply, all the bs that you spout.
This is Genius ——-
DarrenDreifortsContract
April 3, 2026
The lack of talented 7 footers had more to do with small ball returning than D’ Antoni.
Wrong bucko. Nelson went to small ball because a “True Center” left. He played lots of guys out of position. It is what he preferred.
The guy who killed Linsanity got into the HOF last year. Melo’s worst moment.
How D’Antoni have brought back small ball when it never left. Nelson’s career overlapped with Mike’s.
Are you still trying child. Why don’t you learn your history. You can look all this up and read it. Obviously you think you know cause you were there. Your memory is failing you. Celtics invented small ball. And Nelson learned it as a player there. Really about playmakers and ballhandlers. He always gad a true center playing major mins. Birdrens, Turiaf, Mbenga, Fiyke, Taft, Foyle. Yes he did use a 4 at center too. But not like Dantoni. Who had Amare a true 4 at center. A d Marion a true 3 at the 4. Exclusively. Even though Celtics played smaller lineups ball offense. They had the greatest defensive center. Who could play like a 4. And Nelson never forgot that. Keep trying your memory might come back. Try reading it’s easier.
You forget. Nelson’s coaching career started in Milwaukee. The style of play started when Kareem left. He didn’t have any big men. He used Dave Cowens for a long time.
Cowens was a center. He was 6’10” a smaller C at tge time. But played as true center. Like Unseld who was 6’ 7” and a true center. You can’t go back and compare todays game. Today there is more talent at all positions. So teams have the flexibility to change it up. Back then it was as easy. Nelson did play a small offense. All ai am saying is Dantoni made it a staple. That’s all he did. He took it a step further. Kerr uses a lot Dantoni stuff imo.
You want to about ball handlers. Nelson pioneered the Point Forward. A power forward being used as point guard.
You really should read about the Celtics. They pioneered most of all that. Thats why they won so many rings. Nelson is a product of that. Just like Kerr is a product of the triangle offense and Pops offense. I guess you never heard of Bob Petit lol. Way ahead of his time. He changed the forward position.
link to nba.com
Nelson said his ideas for small ball came from watching from the bench in his Boston playing days.
Nelson’s and D’Antoni’s head coaching careers overlapped by about 7 seasons. So, no need to dust off the old playbook. In fact, Kerr was D’Antoni’s boss for awhile.
For what? He got exposed in the playoffs every season. Had no idea what to do against teams that actually played defense and could never make halftime adjustments.
Exactly there are many very good coaches that arent in the HOF because they didn’t win a ring
Why
Laughable…
If he was inducted as a contributor, why not do the same with Doc Rivers. It makes more sense
Doc rivers just contributes complaining on why he has done worse than Adrian griffin
Springfield Mass is an appropriate place for the Hall of everybody who has had an impact of some sort in Basketball.
I guess you are trying to be sarcastic. But, it doesn’t make sense to put it anywhere else.
He’s just kidding.
It was more of a dig at the mediocrity of Springfield.
and the Basketball HOF’s Hall of very good standards
Basketball was created in Springfield. I guess you are right. Basketball is a mediocre sport.
They really letting anybody in…the basketball hall of fame became a joke
Baseball HOF is too strict, basketball HOF lets any all star in, and football HOF is pretty balanced overall with a bad election system limit
They need to use baseball criteria some years none of them deserve it
im very critical of hof but D’antoni makes alot of sense. The NBA is what it is today because of him (hate it or love it)
If only this guy knew how to coach a C into his gameplan, he might of had a championship or two
Judging by these comments a lot of you are confused as to what contributer means.
Nice move, well deserved!