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The 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class
Introduction
On Saturday, August 12th, 2023 the Class of 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees will be officially enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Normally the celebrations are held the week after Labor Day, but the new summer date this year was rescheduled in order to provide a more accessible enshrinement weekend for both the fans as well as the guests.
The enshrinement weekend will commence at the Mohegan Sun located in Connecticut on Friday, Aug. 11th, 2023 with the tip - off celebration as well as an awards gala which is exclusive of the Class of 2023 jacket and ring presentation and the annual Hall of Fame Awards. The actual enshrinement ceremony will then now take place the following day Saturday, August 12th, 2023 in Springfield, Massachusetts historic Symphony Hall.
Class of 2023: North American Committee
Gene Bess (Coach)
Bess is the oval all - time winningest college basketball head coach across all levels. Gene’s 1,300 - wins over the course of his 50 - season college basketball career that took place at the Three Rivers Community College.
Gary Blair (Coach)
Blair’s overall coaching record was 852 - wins and 348 - losses throughout the course of Gary’s 37 - year head coaching role at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas, and Texas A & M. Blair won the 2011 women's NCAA tournament national championship title at Texas A & M as well. 
Pau Gasol (Player)
Gasol averaged a solid 17.0 - points per game, 9.2 - rebounds per game, and 3.2 - assists per game during the course of his illustrious NBA 18 - season career with the Vancouver / Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs, the Chicago Bulls, and the Milwaukee Bucks. Pau was a 6 - time NBA All - Star selection, 4 - time First - Team All - NBA selection. Gasol managed to win 2 - NBA championship titles with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2009 as well as 2010.
Becky Hammon (Player)
Becky averaged 13.9 - points per game as well as 3.8 - assists per game over her 16 - year career with the New York Liberty and the San Antonio Stars. Hammon was a 6 - time WNBA All - Star selection, and she was named to WNBA's 15th, 20th, as well as 25th - anniversary teams too.
David Hixon (Coach)
David took Amherst College to 826 - victories over his 42 - season head coaching position. Hixon was named the Division III College Basketball Coach of the Year twice (2007 & 2013).
Gene Keady (Coach)
Keady compiled an overall total of 550 – wins throughout his 27 - seasons as the head coach at both Western Kentucky as well as Purdue. Gene was named the National Coach of the Year on 6 - occasions (1984, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1996, & 2000).
Dirk Nowitzki (Player)
Dirk averaged 20.7 - points per game, 7.5 - rebounds per game, and 2.4 - assists per game over the course of playing 21 - seasons in the NBA all with his beloved Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki was an astonishing 14 - time NBA All - Star selection, 12 - time All - NBA selection, and the NBA’s MVP Award winner back in 2007. Dirk also won the 2011 NBA championship title with the Dallas Mavericks.
Tony Parker (Player)
Parker averaged 15.5 - points per game and 5.6 - assists per game over the course of his 18 - NBA seasons with both the San Antonio Spurs as well as the Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets. Tony was a 6 - time NBA All - Star, 4 - time All - NBA selection, and he won NBA championship titles with the San Antonio Spurs way back in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.
Gregg Popovich (Coach)
Gregg is currently the NBA's all - time winningest coach as he has compiled over 1,360 - wins with the San Antonio Spurs. Popovich won NBA championship titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. Four of those were with the other Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in Tony Parker.
"In all honesty, I always felt the Hall of Fame is like for Red Holzman, Red Auerbach and Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. ... I've never felt like I really belonged, to be honest with you," Gregg Popovich explained. "I'm not trying to be Mr. Humble or anything. I'm a Division III guy. I'm not a Hall of Fame guy."
"It's incredible," Popovich went on to say. "It's obviously an honor. ... I sit here amongst people who I've always been in awe of myself. So, to be in this situation is kind of an out - of - body experience to be honest with you. All I can do is thank all the people who have helped me to be in this position."
Dwyane Wade (Player)
Wade averaged 22.0 - points per game, 4.7 – rebounds per game, and 5.4 - APG during his 16 - amazing seasons with the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwayne was a 13 - time NBA All - Star selection, 8 - time All - NBA selection. Wade won NBA championship titles in back 2006, 2012, and 2013 with the Miami Heat with other NBA superstars such as Shaq and LeBron James.
"To me, it's a no - brainer that all of these guys are first - ballot guys," the Miami Heat president Pat Riley stated. "Look at the records. Look at the longevity that they've had in this league. Look what they've done for the league, and how much the league calls them back -- because they're ambassadors of this great league and they have a great voice and a great message. Dwyane being a first-ballot was a no - brainer."
Class of 2023: Direct Elect Committees
Women's Veterans Committee Enshrinee
- 1976 U.S. Olympic Team (Team)
Contributor Committee Enshrinee
- Jim Valvano
International Committee Finalists
- Jackie Chazalon
- Mirza Delibasic
- Dusan Ivkovic
- Semen Khalipski
- Vladimir Kondrashin
- Eduardo Lamas
- Marcos Leite
- Shimon Mirrahi
- Amaury Pasos
- Manuel Sainz
- Togo Soares
- Ranko Zeravica
- Veterans Committee Finalists
- 1936 U.S. Olympic Team (Team)
- 1972 U.S. Olympic Team (Team)
- Dick Barnett (Player)
- Tom Blackburn (Coach)
- Sid Borgia (Referee)
- Charles Brown (Player)
- Freddie Brown (Player)
- Jack Coleman (Player)
- Charles Eckman (Referee)
- Leroy Edwards (Player)
- Leo Ferris (Contributor)
- Hy Gotkin (Player)
- Travis Grant (Player)
- Jack Hartman (Coach)
- Cam Henderson (Coach)
- Robert Hopkins (Player)
- Charles Keinath (Player)
- Greg Kelser (Player)
- Kentucky Wesleyan 1966, 1968, 1969 (Team)
- Bob Love (Player)
- Loyola of Chicago (Team)
- Billy Markward (Contributor)
- Ed McCluskey (Coach)
- Jack McKinney (Contributor)
- Bill Melchionni (Player)
- Francis Meehan (Player)
- Lucias Mitchell (Coach)
- Donald "Dudey" Moore (Coach)
- Joe Mullaney (Coach)
- Willie Naulls (Player)
- North Catholic High School Junior Varsity - Philadelphia, PA (Team)
- Don Otten (Player)
- Philadelphia SPHAS (Team)
- Kevin Porter (Player)
- Glenn Roberts (Player)
- Lennie Rosenbluth (Player)
- Kenny Sailors (Player)
- Fred Schaus (Contributor)
- Sam Schulman (Contributor)
- Paul Silas (Player)
- Dick Van Arsdale (Player)
- Tom Van Arsdale (Player)
- Lambert Will (Contributor)
- Max Zaslofsky (Player)
Sources:
“Gregg Popovich, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade into Hall of Fame”, espn.com, April 1, 2023.