FILE–Team USA and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony during his introduction as Fiba Basketball World Cup 2023 ambassador at Smart Araneta Coliseum. –SBP/FIBA PHOTO
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is considering 189 candidates for its Class of 2025, with Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird and Maya Moore among the 39 first-time nominees.
The Hall of Fame announced the candidates Thursday, along with revealing that its board of governors voted to update eligibility requirements. Previously, candidates in the player category had to be out of the game for three full seasons; the Hall brought that down to two.
“To better recognize the distinguished careers of potential first-ballot nominees in a more timely manner, the Board has appropriately shortened the waiting period,” chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement. “We are excited about this change and believe that honoring individuals while their contributions are still fresh in people’s minds is both meaningful and impactful.”
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Anthony, 40, is technically on the list twice. In addition to being a player nominee for the first time, he was a part of the 2008 U.S. men’s Olympic team, which is back up for consideration.
Anthony last appeared in 2021-22 with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was best known for his time with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, making up the first 14 seasons of a 19-year NBA career. In 1,260 games (1,120 starts) for six franchises, Anthony averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
New Fiba Women’s World Cup ambassador Sue Bird. –FIBA PHOTO
The 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection was the NBA’s scoring leader in the 2012-13 season (28.7 ppg). He also led Syracuse to its only national championship in 2002-03, his lone year of college basketball.
Bird, the 13-time WNBA All-Star who spent her entire career with the Seattle Storm, and Moore, the 2014 WNBA Most Valuable Player and a six-time All-Star with the Minnesota Lynx, headline a deep group of women’s nominees. Both Bird and Moore won four WNBA championships in their careers.
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Other nominees in the women’s category include players Sylvia Fowles and Chamique Holdsclaw and coaches Lisa Bluder (Iowa), Doug Bruno (DePaul) and Mike Thibault (Connecticut Sun and Washington Mystics).
Doc Rivers, currently the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, is a first-time nominee in the men’s category, joined by Billy Donovan (two-time national champion at Florida, currently with the Chicago Bulls) and Mark Few (Gonzaga).
Other joining Anthony as first-time player nominees include three-time Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, six-time All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire and seven-time champion Robert Horry (two with the Houston Rockets, three with the Los Angeles Lakers, two with the San Antonio Spurs).
Finalists will be selected during NBA All-Star Weekend on Feb. 14 in San Francisco, and the Class of 2025 will be revealed at the men’s Final Four on April 5 in San Antonio. –Field Level Media