Basketball HOF induction roundup: Speeches from iconic 2026 class

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed its class of 2026 on Sunday. Among this year's inductees are a few of the greatest players in the history of the women's game as well as a handful of familiar NBA names, including one of the league's most memorable officials.

Candace Parker

The WNBA legend played 13 years in Los Angeles, where she led the Sparks to their 2016 championship after capturing two MVP awards (2008, 2013), the first of which she won as a rookie. Parker's Sparks tenure, along with her pair of Olympic gold medals and two national championships at Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summitt, established her as one of the greatest to ever play. Yet she only strengthened her case for the Hall after leaving L.A. by leading her hometown Chicago Sky to their first and only title in 2021. Parker won a third ring as a member of the Las Vegas Aces' 2023 championship squad, though she didn't play in that postseason due to a left foot fracture.

Amar'e Stoudemire

In 2002, Stoudemire jumped straight from Orlando's Cypress Creek High School to the NBA. He then opened an eight-year stint with the Phoenix Suns - most of which was spent alongside fellow class of 2026 enshrinee Mike D'Antoni - by capturing Rookie of the Year honors in 2003. Stoudemire became the first player drafted out of high school to win the award; the only other player to do so was LeBron James the following year. The agile, high-flying forward played in two Western Conference finals with Phoenix before joining the New York Knicks in 2010. Stoudemire picked up his fifth and final All-NBA selection in his first year with New York before knee injuries restricted him in later seasons.

Doc Rivers

Following 27 seasons behind the bench, Rivers called an end to his coaching career in April as a disappointing three-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks came to a close. Although his final chapter wasn't what the 64-year-old hoped for, Rivers authored a page in the NBA history books with nearly three decades of coaching (on top of his 12-year playing career). His 1,194 career wins as a coach rank sixth all time, and only Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Gregg Popovich have more playoff wins than Rivers' 114. His most important postseason victory was Game 6 of the 2008 Finals, which delivered his only championship at the helm of a stacked Boston Celtics squad.

Elena Delle Donne

Delle Donne, the first WNBA player to register a 50-40-90 season, was also a two-time MVP (2015, 2019), a five-time All-WNBA selection (including four first-team nods), an Olympic gold medalist, and a three-time All-American while at Delaware. The 6-foot-5 star guided Chicago to its first WNBA Finals appearance in 2014, but the Sky ultimately fell to the Phoenix Mercury. Five years later, however, she starred for the Washington Mystics and helped the franchise win its first title.

Chamique Holdsclaw

Like Parker, Holdsclaw had a stellar collegiate career playing under Summitt at Tennessee, albeit a decade before her Hall of Fame classmate. Before going first overall to the Mystics in the 1999 draft, Holdsclaw had already won three national titles with the Volunteers - one of which capped a perfect 39-0 season in 1997-98 - and led the SEC in scoring in all but her freshman year. Though she never made the WNBA Finals, Holdsclaw was a three-time All-WNBA selection, the 1999 Rookie of the Year, and a six-time All-Star. In 2002, she led the league in both scoring and rebounding. Holdsclaw also won gold at the 2000 Olympics with the United States but didn't play in the tournament because of a stress fracture in her right foot.

Mike D'Antoni

D'Antoni, who most notably served as head coach of the Suns and Houston Rockets, is best remembered for his offensive ingenuity, which he forged in Phoenix during the 2000s. His squad in the desert came to be known as the "Seven Seconds or Less" Suns for their up-tempo style of play, led by Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, and Stoudemire. A decade later, the West Virginia native helped Rockets star James Harden reach new heights. Harden's four highest scoring seasons to date, along with his 2017-18 MVP award, came under D'Antoni, who guided Houston to the best record in the league that season.

Mark Few

Since taking over at Gonzaga in 1999, Few's Bulldogs have never failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Although the Zags have yet to reach the college basketball mountaintop, Few has twice brought them to the national championship game (2017, 2021) and delivered 21 WCC Tournament titles. He sits 19th on the men's all-time wins list (773) as well as sixth among active coaches. The 63-year-old is also an assistant coach for the U.S. men's basketball team, which he won a gold medal with during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Joey Crawford

No one has officiated more playoff games than Crawford, an NBA referee of 39 seasons who retired in 2016 with 374 postseason contests to his name, including 50 Finals games. His 2,561 regular-season contests are second all time only to Dick Bavetta (2,635). Among Crawford's most notable moments is a strange April 2007 altercation with San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan, who received two quick technical fouls from the ref while sitting on the bench. Crawford was suspended for the rest of that season through the playoffs and fined $100,000 after the incident, which he later called one of the biggest regrets of his career.