"Parker is the only player in WNBA history to win championships with three different franchises (the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces). One of the first true positionless basketball players, Parker was a phenom at every level -- winning the dunk contest at the McDonald's All American Game in high school, two national championships at Tennessee, two Olympic Gold medals and two WNBA MVP awards."
"Delle Donne is also a two-time league MVP (2015 and 2019) who became the first WNBA player to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 90% on free throws. She led the Washington Mystics to their first-ever championship in 2019, cementing her legacy as one of the greatest pure shooters the game has ever seen. Two members of the LA Clippers' "Lob City" era were also named as finalists."
"Doc Rivers, who coached many of those "Lob City" teams, was also selected as a finalist. Rivers, whose 1,114 (and counting) career coaching wins rank eighth on the all-time list, led the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 2008. He is the current coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. A'mare Stoudemire is a finalist again. Stoudemire averaged 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds in 846 career games over 14 seasons for Phoenix, New York, Dallas and Miami, the first eight of which were for the Suns."
Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne lead the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 finalists. Parker won championships with three different WNBA franchises, earned two NCAA titles, two Olympic golds, two WNBA MVPs and remains the only WNBA player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Delle Donne is a two-time MVP and the first WNBA player to achieve 50/40/90, and she led the Washington Mystics to the 2019 championship. Blake Griffin, Doc Rivers and A'mare Stoudemire also appear among the finalists, each with notable career milestones and accomplishments.
Read at ESPN.com
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