The NBA Hall of Fame finalists disclosed: Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzky, Pau Gasol amongst the elite list

The 2023 NBA Hall of Fame vintage will include four players, including three Europeans, a coach and a player. Frenchman Tony Parker is one of the lucky ones.

Four years after the end of his career, Tony Parker will enter the NBA Hall of Fame. From his first year of eligibility, the former San Antonio Spurs point guard will join the NBA Hall of Fame, which will be officially announced this weekend at the Final Four from March Madness, NCAA college basketball tournament. Quadruple NBA champion, six-time All-Star and first European to be named MVP of the NBA Finals (2007), Tony Parker will thus become the first French player to obtain such an honor.

To accompany Tony Parker, three other players will be part of this vintage. Retired from the prosecution also in 2019, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki will also join the NBA Hall of Fame from their first year of eligibility. Legend of the Miami Heat with which he played fourteen of the sixteen seasons of his career, Wade is the best scorer, passer and interceptor in the history of the franchise. MVP of the NBA Finals in 2006, he allowed the Florida franchise to win the first title in its history.

ESPN Sources: Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Becky Hammon and Gregg Popovich are among the finalists who’ve been elected into Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2023. Formal announcement will come at Final Four in Houston this weekend.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 29, 2023

Dirk Nowitzki’s legacy with the Dallas Mavericks is equally important. Icon of the Texas franchise, for which he played for twenty-one seasons, the German is the top scorer in Mavs history and the sixth best scorer in NBA history. Recognized for its fadeway on one leg, Nowiztki was the first European player to be named NBA MVP (2007) and allowed Dallas to win its first and only NBA title in 2011, the year he was also named Finals MVP.

Popovich elected before retirement

To complete this selection among players, Pau Gasol will also be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. During his NBA career, the Spaniard made the happiness of the Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs or Milwaukee Bucks. However, he especially marked the spirits at the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won two titles alongside Kobe Bryant. Also a star of European basketball, he ended his career at FC Barcelona and marked FIBA ​​basketball by winning three Olympic medals and a World Cup (2019).

Still active, Gregg Popovich is the only coach inducted into this vintage. After twenty-seven seasons on the bench for the San Antonio Spurs, he holds the record for regular season wins and ranks third in playoff wins, behind Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. WNBA player for fifteen years, Becky Hammon completes the selection. Six-time All-Star, four-time All-WNBA Team, Hammon recently took charge of the Las Vegas Aces with whom she won the WNBA title.