The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 2019 finalists Friday.
The 13 chosen include four first-time finalists in Marques Johnson, Jack Sikma, Ben Wallace and Paul Westphal and previous finalists Leta Andrews, Hugh Evans, Bill Fitch, Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief, Barbara Stevens, Eddie Sutton, Teresa Weatherspoon and Chris Webber.
Wallace is a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He played in Washington, Orlando, Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland before returning to the Pistons and finishing his career in 2012. Wallace is a four-time NBA All-Star (2003-06) and won the 2004 NBA championship in Detroit.
Webber, a five-time NBA All-Star, won the 1994 Rookie of the Year award. He led the league in rebounds per game during the 1998-1999 season and averaged more than 20 points per game for nine consecutive seasons (1994-2003). Webber started his career with the Warriors in 1993 as the No. 1 draft pick. He made stops in Washington, Sacramento, Philadelphia and Detroit before going back to Golden State in his final year (2008). Webber has become an analyst on NBA TV's NBA Gametime Live and is an occasional guest analyst on TNT's Inside the NBA.
Weatherspoon is one of three women chosen, and is the only former player to receive the nod. She is a five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Weatherspoon is seen as an icon in New York after spending seven seasons with the Liberty. She was the first WNBA player to ever tally 1,000 points and 1,000 assists. She ended her career with the Sparks in 2004 and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
Andrews and Stevens were the other two women selected, both with illustrious coaching careers.
Fitch and Sutton were the only two male coaches nominated with Johnson, Jones, Moncrief, Sikma and Westphal the remaining players to be named.
Fitch coached in the NBA for 25 seasons and was named Coach of the Year twice. He holds the highest winning percentage in Celtics history (.738) and is just the second coach in NBA history to lead a team to three straight 60-win seasons. Sutton is a four-time National Coach of the Year recipient and an eight-time Conference Coach of the Year. He is the first coach in NCAA history to lead four different schools in the tournament.
Evans was the only referee selected.
The Class of 2019 will be announced at a press conference in Minneapolis, Minn. at the NCAA Men’s Final Four.
