Basketball Hall of Fame Inducts 8 in 2026 Class as Candace Parker, Doc Rivers Headline
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 16
Basketball Hall of Fame Inducts 8 in 2026 Class as Candace Parker, Doc Rivers Headline
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 16
Summary
Eight honorees officially entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday in Springfield, Massachusetts, after receiving their Hall of Fame jackets at Friday’s gala in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Chamique Holdsclaw and Amar’e Stoudemire led the player group, joined by coaches Doc Rivers, Mark Few and Mike D’Antoni, plus longtime NBA referee Joey Crawford.
Parker framed her speech in “four quarters,” tracing her rise from family expectations to retirement, praising her wife’s support and saying she wants to keep changing basketball through broadcasting.
Rivers, an NBA champion coach with 1,194 wins, grew emotional discussing his brother and family, while Stoudemire described basketball as his “therapist” during a childhood marked by poverty.
The ceremony also honored the 1996 U.S. women’s Olympic team, whose gold-medal run is widely credited with helping lay the groundwork for the WNBA.