During Saturday night’s Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony, 2020 inductee Kevin Garnett said he would like to see his former teammate Paul Pierce get inducted next. Garnett’s wish has come true with today’s release of the 2021 inductee list.
There were 14 finalists this year, but only nine will get inducted in next year’s ceremony.
For the National Basketball Association (NBA), Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Chris Webber, and Ben Wallace were chosen.
Pierce was the NBA finals MVP in 2008, won his championship the same year, and is one of only three Boston Celtic players to have scored more than 20,000 points with the team.
Bosh played for the Toronto Raptors but is most well-known for going to the Miami Heat and helping them win two titles in 2012 and 2013.
Webber is a five-time NBA all-star, NBA Rookie of the Year, and was the number one overall draftee for the Golden State Warriors.
Wallace helped lead the Detroit Pistons to a championship in 2004 and is the first undrafted NBA player to get into the Hall of Fame.
The coaches to be inducted are Rick Adelman, Jay Wright, and Bill Russell.
Adelman has coached many NBA teams throughout his career and has the ninth most wins for a coach in NBA history (1,042).
Wright coached at Villanova for 27 years and is also a two-time NCAA champion.
Bill Russell, who was inducted as a player in 1975, is both the first black head coach in the NBA and the first black head coach to win a championship.
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) includes Yolanda Griffith and Lauren Jackson.
Griffith, a seven-time WNBA all-star, was the MVP Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 and won a championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005.
Jackson is also a seven-time all-star, a three-time MVP, and won two championships in the WNBA with the Seattle Storms.
The date of the induction ceremony has yet to be released.