Paul Pierce, Doug Collins, Michael Cooper and Lauren Jackson top the pool of first-time nominees for the 2021 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame class, announced Tuesday on ESPN’s The Jump.
Also joining the group for the first time are Howard Garfinkel, Lou Henson, Val Ackerman and Yolanda Griffith, to accompany popular candidates Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Richard Hamilton, Becky Hammon, Swin Cash and Ben Wallace.
Pierce spent 15 of his 19 NBA seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning a championship and MVP of the Finals in 2008. He is a 10-time All-Star and second on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list behind by John Havlicek.
Collins is a former No. 1 pick in the draft and spent all eight seasons of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. He is best known for his coaching role, beginning with the Chicago Bulls in 1986, where he coached Michael Jordan, preceding Phil Jackson. Collins went on to coach the Pistons, Wizards and 76ers and has a career record of 442-407.
Cooper had 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers as a member of the “Showtime” era, winning five championships. He was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and was named to the All Defender team five times. After his playing career, he went on to coach the Los Angeles Sparks, winning two championships and as the WNBA Coach of the Year in 2000.
????BREAKING NEWS????
????????????@Hoophall#NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump # KiaTipOff20 #21HoopClass pic.twitter.com/EivXGvfDKT
— The Jump on ESPN (@NBATheJump) December 22, 2020
Jackson is one of the most decorated female players, winning four times the WNBL Most Valuable Player award and three times the WNBA Most Valuable Player award. A three-time WNBA scoring champion and seven-time WNBA All-Star, she won Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 and was named 2010 WNBA Finals MVP while leading the Seattle Storm to a championship.
Garfinkel was a legendary basketball scout and founded the Five-Star Basketball Camp. The selection process for the finalists of the North America and Women committee will take place during the NBA All-Star Weekend, scheduled for early March. The entire class of 2021 will be announced during the NCAA Final Four in April.
The 2021 class will be exalted in Springfield, Massachusetts, in September 2021. The 2020 consecration ceremony, a star-studded group led by Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, was rescheduled and relocated to the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. .
– .
