By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Former European NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker, as well as San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, are among the finalists elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023, with Dwayne Wade and Becky Hammon, ESPN reports.
A formal announcement on the full Class of 2023 will come Saturday at the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four in Houston, and the ceremony in Springfield is scheduled for August 12.
One of the best European players to ever play in the NBA, Nowitzki, currently sits and No. 6 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and was named MVP in 2007.
He also won a championship with Dallas Mavericks in 2011, when he was named Finals MVP, and has his No. 41 jersey retired by the Mavs.
Gasol won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. The six-time All-star also has his No. 16 jersey retired by the LA team.
Popovich is the NBA’s all-time leader in coaching wins, and he guided the San Antonio Spurs to five championships. Four of those with Parker in the team.
The president of LDLC ASVEL was the MVP of the 2007 finals, and like Gasol, has six All-Star appearances. As before-mentioned players, his No. 9 jersey is retired by the Spurs.
As for the American finalists, Wade won three championships with Miami Heat and was a 13-time All-Star, while Hammon was a six-time All-Star in her WNBA career and coached Las Vegas Aces to a WNBA championship past summer.