Candace Parker Leads the 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Class
Candace Parker and Notable Basketball Figures Set for Hall of Fame Induction
PHOENIX — Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Chamique Holdsclaw, and the 1996 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team are among the latest inductees announced for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The selections were revealed during halftime of the UConn-South Carolina game at the NCAA Final Four on Friday, where Parker, Holdsclaw, and members of the Olympic team were present alongside Amar’e Stoudemire and Mike D’Antoni.
Joining this esteemed group are veteran NBA official Joey Crawford, NBA coach Doc Rivers, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few.
Parker’s illustrious career features three WNBA championships with three different teams—Los Angeles, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Notably, she remains the only player to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. In college, she earned two titles playing for Tennessee under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, in addition to two Olympic gold medals and two WNBA MVP honors.
Delle Donne, a two-time WNBA MVP in 2015 and 2019, led the Washington Mystics to their first championship during her second award year. She holds a unique place in league history, as the first player to achieve shooting percentages of over 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 90% from the free-throw line.
Holdsclaw made her mark by winning three consecutive NCAA championships with Tennessee from 1996 to 1998, culminating in the 1998 season, where the Lady Vols achieved an undefeated record of 39-0 and set an NCAA record for the most wins in a season. She had a successful 11-year career in the WNBA following her time in college.
Stoudemire, the lone NBA player in this year’s Hall of Fame class, was named Rookie of the Year in 2003 and became a six-time All-Star. His career began with the Phoenix Suns, where he played alongside coach Mike D’Antoni for eight seasons.
With nearly 1,200 career victories, Rivers ranks eighth on the all-time wins list among NBA coaches. He led the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship and was also at the helm during the Los Angeles Clippers’ notable “Lob City” era.
Mark Few has established a record of over 770 wins at Gonzaga and set the NCAA Division I men’s coaching record for most victories (81) in his first three years at the school.
Crawford officiated an astonishing 2,561 regular-season NBA games and 50 NBA Finals games over a distinguished 39-year career before retiring in 2016.
The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place in August at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
