A new group of basketball legends will be immortalized in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame later this year.
The Hall of Fame announced Saturday that the Class of 2025 will include Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Danny Crawford, Billy Donovan, Micky Arison and the 2008 United States men's basketball team.
The class will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame during enshrinement weekend on Sept. 5-6 later this fall. Let's dive into each nominee:
Carmelo Anthony
The No. 3 pick of the 2003 draft by the Denver Nuggets, Anthony starred for 19 years in the NBA and earned 10 All-Star nods and six All-NBA honors over his career. He won the scoring title with the New York Knicks in 2012-13 and, as a three-time gold medalist, was Team USA's all-time leading scorer in the Olympics until Kevin Durant passed him on that leaderboard in 2024.
Dwight Howard
One of the greatest centers of his generation, Howard was an eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA honoree and three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner over 19 seasons. He also led the league in rebounding five times and twice in blocks. Howard also won his lone NBA championship during the 2019-20 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping finish off the Miami Heat in six games in the NBA bubble.
Sue Bird
A four-time WNBA champion, 13-time WNBA All-Star and two-time national champion at UConn, Bird retired after the 2022 season as one of the best women's basketball players to ever lace up the sneakers. She is also one of two basketball players in Olympic history to win five gold medals, joining U.S. teammate Diana Taurasi.
Maya Moore
All Moore did her entire basketball career was win. Moore lost just three total games in high school and four games in college, winning six championships in that span—four at Collins Hill High School in Georgia and two at UConn. She went on to be the key cog in the Minnesota Lynx' dynasty, claiming four WNBA titles from 2011 to '17.
Sylvia Fowles
Joining Moore in the Hall of Fame this year is her longtime Lynx teammate Fowles. The eight-time WNBA All-Star center was named the Defensive Player of the Year four times over her 15-year career. She also won the 2017 WNBA MVP with the Lynx after averaging 18.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Danny Crawford
Crawford worked as an NBA official for 32 seasons before retiring in 2017. He officiated over 2,000 regular-season games and over 300 playoff contests while working 23 NBA Finals.
Billy Donovan
Donovan, the current coach of the Chicago Bulls, won back-to-back national championships with Florida in 2006 and '07. He coached the Gators for 19 seasons from 1996 to 2015 before making the leap to the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder in '15.
Micky Arison
Arison's father, Ted, brought the Heat to Miami in 1988. Since he took control of the franchise in 1995, the Heat have been one of the most successful organizations in all of sports, winning three NBA championships from 2005 to '13 and advancing to the Finals seven times under his watch.
2008 Team USA Olympic men's basketball team
Nicknamed the "Redeem Team" after Team USA won only a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, the 2008 edition defeated Spain 118-107 to win the gold medal and put the United States back at the top of the international basketball food chain. The 2008 roster was coached by Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski and was led by NBA greats LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant as well as two members of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 in Howard and Anthony.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Officially Names Class of 2025 Inductees.
