Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2026 finalists: Blake Griffin, Doc Rivers, Candace Parker among 21 candidates left

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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 is coming into focus, with a list of 21 finalists announced Wednesday.

It's a diverse group of recent NBA and WNBA stars, top coaches, older names and other contributors. The headliners include Blake Griffin, Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Mike D'Antoni and Kelvin Sampson, all of whom are first-time nominees.

Doc Rivers and Amar'e Stoudemire are among the bigger names getting a second look for induction. The lone referee nominated is the long controversial Joey Crawford, while the team in the running is the 1996 U.S. women's national team, whose Olympic dominance helped launch the WNBA the following year. 

One of those 1996 players, Jennifer Azzi, is also up for individual induction.

The finalists will now have their fate decided by the Hall's 24-member Honors Committee. The new class will be announced on Saturday, April 4 during Final Four weekend.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 finalists

Players

• Jennifer Azzi

• Molly Bolin-Kazmer

• Tal Brody

• Elena Delle Donne*

• Blake Griffin*

• Chaminique Holdsclaw

• Kevin Johnson

• Marques Johnson

• Candace Parker*

• Amar'e Stoudemire

• Buck Williams

Coaches

• Mike D’Antoni*

• Mark Few

• Dušan Ivković

• Gary McKnight

• Dick Motta

• Doc Rivers

• Kelvin Sampson*

• Jerry Welsh

Referees

• Joey Crawford

Teams

• 1996 United States Women’s National Team*

* denotes a first-time nominee