The Basketball Hall of Fame announced the finalists for the class of 2023 and it's shaping up to be a stacked group.
Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Dwyane Wade headline those that made the finalist list in their first year of eligibility.
Among them are the San Antonio Spurs' duo Gregg Popovich and Tony Parker. Parker was a key piece of San Antonio's dominance throughout the early 2000s, playing point alongside Hall of Famers Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili en route to four NBA championships.
Popovich's record in San Antonio speaks for itself. In his 26th season as head coach, Popovich is the league's all-time winningest coach and currently holds the record as the longest-tenured active coach across all major American sports. He's also contributed to the national team, most recently leading the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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The Spurs' connections don't stop there. Popovich is joined by Becky Hammon, a six-time WNBA All-Star and former member of his staff in San Antonio.
Hammon started her WNBA career with the New York Liberty before joining the San Antonio Stars in 2007. That move ultimately set the stage for her coaching career when she tore her ACL years later. While rehabbing her knee, Hammon familiarized herself with Popovich and his coaching philosophies, eventually getting hired as the league's first female assistant coach.
She continued to break countless gender barriers, coaching at nearly every level around the league, before landing a head coaching job with the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces won the WNBA championship in Hammon's first season at the helm.
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Other finalists from the Women's Committee include 1990 National Player of the Year Jennifer Azzi and a pair of legendary college coaches -- Gary Blair of Texas A&M and Marian Washington of Kansas.
Rounding out the list of finalists are Gene Bess, David Hixon and Gene Keady, all nominated by the North American Committee.
Finalists must receive 18 of the available 24 votes to earn the Hall of Fame's iconic orange jacket. Eight of the 11 finalists last year gained the necessary votes for enshrinement.
The class of 2023 will be officially announced on April 1 at the NCAA men's Final Four in Houston. Enshrinement will follow the weekend of Aug. 11 and 12 in Uncasville, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts, home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
