NBA legends Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are one step closer to basketball immortality. They’ve just been named finalists for the 2025 Hall of Fame class, alongside some of the WNBA’s biggest stars.
The women’s game is bringing serious star power too. Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles – three players who changed the face of women’s basketball – made the cut.
It’s not just players getting the nod. College coaching giants Billy Donovan and Mark Few are in the running. And here’s something pretty cool: the entire 2008 USA ‘Redeem Team’ is up for consideration as a group.
The final decision comes down to 24 mystery voters. They’ll need 18 “yes” votes to make it in – that’s a pretty high bar.
We’ll find out who made it on April 5th in San Antonio, right in the middle of March Madness Final Four weekend.
Melo’s case? It’s rock solid. We’re talking about the NBA’s 10th all-time scorer with 28,289 points. The man was a scoring machine – 10 All-Star appearances, six All-NBA teams, and even grabbed a scoring title along the way.
Before he was lighting up NBA scoreboards, he led Syracuse to a national title as a freshman. That’s just ridiculous.
Howard dominated the paint for years, especially during his Orlando Magic days. Eight All-Star appearances, eight All-NBA selections, and he was basically unguardable on defense – three Defensive Player of the Year awards prove that.
He finally got his championship ring with the Lakers in 2020, capping off an incredible career.
The WNBA finalists? They’re just as impressive.
Sue Bird spent 19 years making magic happen for the Seattle Storm. Four WNBA titles, 13 All-Star appearances, and get this – she’s the only player ever to appear in more than 550 games. She finished with 580.
Oh, and she’s got four Olympic gold medals. No big deal.
Maya Moore’s story is different but just as powerful. In just seven years, she packed in four WNBA titles and an MVP award. Then she walked away at the peak of her career to fight for criminal justice reform. That’s bigger than basketball.
Sylvia Fowles was a force of nature. MVP in 2017, eight All-Star appearances, and she was absolutely dominant in the Finals, winning MVP both times her team took the title.
Like Bird, she’s got four Olympic golds in her trophy case.
The official induction ceremony is set for early September. For these basketball giants, it’s gonna be worth the wait.
