- Carter spent 22 years in the NBA and is considered one of the greatest dunks of all time.
- Billups is now the coach of the Portland Trailblazers and has won multiple accolades
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NBA icons Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups and WNBA legend Seimone Augustus were named among 14 finalists for this year’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement.
Also nominated were former Los Angeles Lakers guard Michael Cooper, Phoenix Suns all-time leading scorer Walter Davis, former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, and three contributor nominees: former player and coach Doug Collins, Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon and NBA legend Jerry West. , who established himself as a player in 1980.
Other finalists include Charles Smith, the winningest high school head coach in Louisiana history; former Kansas coach Marian Washington; Australian point guard Michele Timms; three-time Tennessee A&I NAIA Champion Dick Barnett; and six-time AAU champion coach Harley Redin.
Washington, Redin and Timms are already in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Timms is also a member of the FIBA Hall of Fame.
“Unbelievable,” Carter said. “You look out in the crowd, you see the Hall of Famers and the opportunity… I mean, it doesn’t get any better than that.” You can’t beat that. It’s a proud moment.’
NBA icon Vince Carter was named one of the finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Chauncey Billups and Seimone Augustus also top the list of finalists for this year’s class.
Carter is considered one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history and played 22 seasons in the NBA, the most in league history.
Billups earned the nickname ‘Mr. Big Shot’ during his career for his countless key performances with the Detroit Pistons and garnered multiple accolades during his 17-year career.
He was named MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals after the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers during the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal era, and was a five-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive Team player.
Billups is now the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers.
Augustus had originally been drafted No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Lynx in 2006 and became a four-time WNBA champion and eight-time All-Star after winning Rookie of the Year in her first campaign.
She is now the coach of the United States women’s basketball team.
‘Every year is new. Every year is different. We’re very happy with this group,” said Jerry Colangelo, president of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “And hopefully, we’re going to have great results in terms of voting.”
Record-breaking Wisconsin Badgers basketball coach Bo Ryan was also one of the finalists.
That vote will take place in the coming weeks, and the Class of 2024 will be revealed at the Final Four in Phoenix on April 6. The generation will be consecrated on August 17 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Colangelo said he was pleased to see the diversity within the group of finalists: men, women, big-name players and small-college coaches among them.
“It is an honor that reflects not only individual greatness but also the lasting impact on the game itself,” Colangelo said of being a finalist. “From the strategic brilliance of the coaches to the unmatched skills of the players and the influential roles of a coach-broadcaster, an esteemed owner and a dynasty-building executive, each finalist embodies the pinnacle of basketball excellence.”
The nominees were announced in December. Among those who missed the cut this year were Penny Hardaway and the 2008 US Olympic team, dubbed the ‘Redeemed Team’ after winning gold in Beijing four years after the Americans finished third at the Athens Games.