Dirk Nowitzki #41 of Team Giannis and Dwyane Wade #3 of Team LeBron receive commemorative All-Star jerseys after the NBA All-Star game as part of the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend at Spectrum Center on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Team LeBron won 178-164. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images/AFP
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich lead a high-profile list of first-time nominees for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.
Other eligible candidates on the ballot for the first time include Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol.
Wade was a 13-time All-Star and won three NBA titles (2006, 2012, 2013) with the Miami Heat.
Parker and Popovich won four rings together in San Antonio (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014), with “Pops” also leading the Spurs to their first championship in 1999.
Nowitzki ranks sixth in NBA history with 31,560 career points and spearheaded Dallas to its only title in 2011.
Gasol won championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010 and earned three Olympic medals (two silvers, one bronze) with Spain.
The Class of 2023 will be unveiled at the NCAA Final Four in Houston on April 1. The enshrinement ceremony will be on Aug. 12 in Springfield, Mass.