This Year's Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame Finalists May Be Most Decorated Ever

The finalists for the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame feature 11 first-time nominees among the 12 names announced during NBA All-Star Weekend, and fans might never see a class as loaded as this.

Below is the full list of nominees.

As Players:

• Pau Gasol
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Tony Parker
• Dwyane Wade
• Jennifer Azzi
• Becky Hammon

As Coaches:

• Gary Blair
• Marian Washington
• Gene Bess
• David Hixon
• Gene Keady
• Gregg Popovich

Among NBA players Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Dwyane Wade are 10 NBA Championships, three Finals MVP awards, 39 All-Star selections and, almost coincidentally, all of them retired from the NBA following the 2018-19 season.

Basketball fans know full well who these men are for their contributions to the game and for them to make it into the Hall of Fame on their first nomination is almost a sure-fire bet.

WNBA stars Jennifer Azzi and Becky Hammon, who is currently the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces after spending eight seasons with the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant, both have the resume to back up their respective nominations.

The year 2000 was a great year for Azzi as she led the WNBA in free-throw percentage, shot 93% from the free-throw line and set the league's all-time single-season record for three-point field goal percentage at 51.7.

As for Hammon, the undrafted American-Russian player from Colorado State took home three All-American selections, six WNBA All-Star honors, and two-time WNBA First Team selections.

Moving on to the coaches, Gregg Popovich's inclusion among the finalists seems to be a long-overdue acknowledgment for his work in San Antonio after spending the past 27 years with the same organization.

He is best known as the architect of the Spurs' five NBA championships and the record-holder for most wins in NBA history (1,358).

Popovich also led the US Men's Basketball Team to the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2020.

Women's college basketball coaching legend Gary Blair spent 37 years developing the women's game and has reached the postseason 28 times with 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, while only having two losing seasons as a collegiate head coach.

His coaching record of 852 wins to just 348 losses (71%) surely is an honor worth remembering and his hard work finally bore fruit when he led Texas A&M over Notre Dame to the 2011 NCAA Title.

Marian Washington spent her entire head coaching career with the Kansas Jayhawks' women's team from 173 to 2004 and racked up a record of 560 wins to just 363 losses.

She was also granted the Black Coaches Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 after her body of work which also includes an assistant coaching stint with the USA National Team in 1996–the first black woman to be on a national team coaching staff.

Gene Bess is widely considered the winningest coach in US history over a 50-year career, logging 1,300 wins (the first coach to do so) with Three Rivers Community College in Missouri.

Bess also won two national junior college (JUCO) basketball titles in 1979 and 1992 and notably coached fan-favorite NBA star Latrell Sprewell during the player's time at Three Rivers from 1988 to 1990.

Another legendary college basketball coach, David Hixon, spent all 42 years of his career with Amherst College and has been on the winning side 826 times while leading them to seven Division 3 Final Four appearances alongside two NCAA Division 3 titles in 2007 and 2013.

Last but certainly not least is Purdue University legend and 2013 College Basketball Hall of Famer Gene Keady, who carries with him seven Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for leading them to six Big Ten titles and 22 postseason appearances.

"The Class of 2023 will be remembered as one of the most distinguished classes the Hall of Fame will ever see, and we are extremely excited for this unparalleled collection of talent and achievement to be one step closer to Springfield," said Jerry Colangelo, the chairman of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Hardcore basketball fans would be hard-pressed to find a better group of finalists to enter the Hall of Fame.

While there may be a few names cut before the official announcement of who makes it on April 1, it would not be a big surprise if they decide to give all of them their flowers later this year.

The full reveal of the finalists can be seen here.