By Dorothy J. Gentry
Sports Editor
Photo: Naismith Hall of Fame
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 12 inductees in the Class of 2023 and among them was beloved Dallas Maverick legend Dirk Nowitzki. This was his first year being eligible for the Hall of Fame.
Nowitzki and the 11 other inductees will be celebrated during this year’s Enshrinement festivities on August 11-12. The Class Announcement was made in Houston, the site of the 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four, and was televised live on ESPN.
Nowitzki is No. 6 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 31,550 points, was named league MVP in 2007 and won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, when he was named Finals MVP. A statue of him was unveiled in front of American Airlines Center in December.
This year’s North American Committee inductees (in alphabetical order):
Gene Bess – All-time winningest college coach (1,300), 2-time NJCAA Coach of the Year
Pau Gasol – 6-time All-Star, 2-time NBA champion, 2002 Rookie of the Year
David Hixon – 826 wins, 2-time D3 national champion, 2-time D3 Coach of the Year
Gene Keady – 6-time NCAA Coach of the Year, 17 NCAA Tournament appearances
Dirk Nowitzki – 14-time All-Star, 2006-07 MVP, 2011 NBA Champion
Tony Parker – 6-time All-Star, 4-time NBA champion, 2007 Finals MVP
Gregg Popovich – Winningest coach in NBA history, 3-time NBA Coach of the Year, 5-time NBA champion
Dwyane Wade – 13-time All-Star, 3-time NBA champion, 2006 Finals MVP
This year’s Women’s Committee inductees (in alphabetical order):
Gary Blair – 852 wins, 2011 National Champion, 2-time Final Four participant
Becky Hammon – 6-time WNBA All-Star, 2-time First-Team All-WNBA recipient
This year’s Direct Elect Committee inductees (in alphabetical order):
1976 Women’s Olympic Basketball Team (Women’s Veterans) – Silver medalists in inaugural appearance for Women’s Olympic Basketball
Jim Valvano (Contributor) – 1983 NCAA Champion, created The V Foundation for Cancer Research
The Class of 2023 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, the Birthplace of Basketball, as well as the Mohegan Sun on August 11-12. VIP packages and single-event tickets to the 2023 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend are now available at hoophall.com/events/enshrinement-2023.
