Later this year, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice.Even before their playing careers are over, LeBron James and Chris Paul are among the group that will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Along with the 2008 U.S., Anthony and Howard were named members of the Class of 2025 on Saturday. The “Redeem Team,” the Olympic men’s basketball squad they were a part of, won gold at the Beijing Games and began USA Basketball’s men’s program’s run of five straight Olympic titles.
Howard declared, “I made it to the real basketball heaven,” “The words cannot express how it feels to be up on this stage representing my family, my friends, and everyone who has accompanied me on this journey—the good, the bad, and the ugly—all of which have contributed to my induction into the Hall of Fame.” “I am just overwhelmed with joy, gratitude, all the emotions, everyone.”
The Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, will have enshrinement weekends on September 5–6.
“You know what time it is [when] Springfield is on the phone. You know who it is. You get the phone call, and you hear, ‘You are in.’ And I think for me, it was a burden off of my shoulders,” Anthony stated during the televised announcement. “In my case, I saw Springfield on the phone when the call came in.”
As a college coach with Florida, Donovan won consecutive championships, a feat he attributes to his former players and staff.
Donovan stated, “It is really overwhelming. It is very, very humbling.” “When you get into basketball, at least for me, I never thought about sitting up here one day and being inducted into the Hall of Fame. You did it because you loved it.” “I am grateful and profoundly humbled to have had so many wonderful coaches and people around me for such a long time.”
Miami won NBA titles in 2006, 2012, and 2013 under Arison’s leadership. For 32 seasons, Crawford covered NBA games, and in 23 of those years, he was selected to cover the NBA Finals.
“This is an individual honor for some,” Arison remarked. “But in my opinion, this illustrates the unity that our whole Heat family—players, coaches, employees, and supporters—has created.”
Together, the five players chosen as individuals—Bird, Moore, Fowles, Howard, and Anthony—were named All-Stars 45 times during their careers, won 15 gold medals at the Olympics, participated in 11 WNBA or NBA championship teams, and made 37 All-NBA or All-WNBA appearances.
“Surreal,” Bird described her choice. “There is no way to truly understand it, in my opinion.”
“You just do your job… and when it is all said and done, the job is complete and here we are,” Fowles continued. “I do not think [any] one of us go into this thinking that we are going to be Hall of Famers.”
With the pick of the Redeem Team, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade—all of whom are already inducted into the Hall of Famers—essentially get in for a second time. Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Tayshaun Prince were also members of that Olympic team, as were James and Paul, who are both undoubtedly guaranteed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after they retire.
Jerry Colangelo, who currently leads the Hall of Fame, was the managing director of that squad.
“All the guys lived by a set of standards that we developed,” said Mike Krzyzewski, a 2001 Hall of Fame inductee and former Duke coach who led that 2008 Olympic squad. “I really wish Kobe was here. He was the key guy, I think. As many great players as we had at the time, he was the greatest and everyone looked up to him.” “They were the best group of guys.”
In 2020, a helicopter disaster claimed the lives of Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people. Later that year, Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The team assigned to restore USA Basketball’s position at the top of the world stage after the 2004 Olympic team only won a bronze medal at the Athens Games was known as the Redeem Team. In Beijing, the Redeem Team won 8 of their games with an average of 27.9 points.
Jim Tooley, CEO of USA Basketball, stated, “USA Basketball is thrilled to see the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.” “The Redeem Team’s historic run in Beijing has helped the U.S. men’s basketball team win five gold medals in a row and represents a turning point in the sport’s history.
“Among the many legends in this Class who have contributed to our organization’s success over the last 20-plus years are Sue Bird, Billy Donovan, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles,” Tooley continued. “Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, members of that team and individual inductees, are just two of them.”
The induction of Bird and Moore together will undoubtedly enhance what is typically a historic weekend in New England, given the women’s team at UConn already has coach Geno Auriemma, Swin Cash (enshrined as a player), and Rebecca Lobo (enshrined as a contributor) in the Hall of Fame.
“They are Hall of Famers for me, their family, everyone, and even those who hate UConn,” Auriemma remarked. “They all agree on that one thing.”
