The Las Vegas Aces are a special team, having just won their second straight championship, and could be a squad that has a chance to be a WNBA dynasty.

Whenever a title is won, it naturally helps key players make their respective Halls of Fame, and this win could help bring five women closer to Springfield.

Despite not winning what would have been her third MVP (she finished third) A’Ja Wilson is the team’s star, leader, and arguably the new face of the league.  She has only played six seasons, but the Basketball Hall does not have any minimum level of service.  No eligible player in either the WNBA or NBA who is a two-time MVP and two-time Champion will fail to gain enshrinement.  She might be well under 30, but Wilson is a first ballot entrant now!

Wilson is Las Vegas’ certifiable star, but one player can win a title alone.  Chelsea Gray, who is a nine-year veteran, added a fifth All-Star this year, and is a three-time WNBA Champion, two with the Aces and her first with the Los Angeles Sparks in 2018.

Jackie Young, who arguably was Las Vegas’ second best player this season, is not a Hall of Famer yet, but the number two on a dynasty can walk into a Hall (see, Pippen, Scottie).  At only 26, the best should be yet to come for Aces’ Guard.

Kelsey Plum, who is one of Vegas’ most popular stars, might be helped the most.  Approaching 30, Plum has only been an All-Star two times, but like the others, is not a repeat champion.  Her resume is already bolstered by her popularity (that shouldn’t matter, but it does), and the fact that she is the all-time NCAA scoring leader, and remember that the Hall looks at all aspects of a player’s career.

The Basketball Hall of Fame can reward people multiple times, and Becky Hammon is on her way to becoming a member of that elusive club.  Hammon, who was already inducted into the Hall as a player, has now coached the Aces to two Titles, and was already. A successful Assistant Coach in the NBA with the Spurs for many years, proving that a woman could succeed in that role.

An honorable mention is Mark Davis, who bought the team in 2021, and has already won two titles.  Under his watch, the Aces built the WNBA’s first state of the art training facility, rivaling that of any league. The Hall will not likely honor someone with such a short run, but no owner in the WNBA rivals Davis’ impact.

It is a wonderful time of the year!

For all of the things that we can accurately criticize about the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, we love how they always time their announcements, based on major hoops-related events.  As such, during Final Four weekend, the Hall announced 12 new members, comprising the Class of 2022.

Alphabetically, they are:

The 1976 Women’s Olympic Team:  Team U.S.A. won the Gold Medal at the Montreal Games.

Gene Bess:  Bess had a career record of 1,300-416 making him the winningest coach in NCAA history.  Spending his entire career at Three Rivers Community College, he is a two-time Junior College Champion as a Coach.

Gary Blair:  Blair coached for 37 years, most notably leading the women’s program at Texas A&M to a National Championship in 2011.  He had a lifetime record of 852-346.

Pau Gasol:  The Spanish Center went to six All-Star Games and helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to two NBA Championships.  Gasol also was a two-time Second Team and two-time Third Team All-NBA player and while representing Spain, he is a two-time Olympic Silver Medalist, won an Olympic Bronze, and also led his country to Gold in the 2006 World Cup.

Becky Hammon:  Hammon was a six-time WNBA Selection and was named to the NBA 15^th, 20^th, and 25^th Anniversary Team.  She won Bronze representing Russia in the 2008 Olympics and was the first female Assistant Coach in the NBA (San Antonio).  Hammon won the WNBA Championship in her first year as a Head Coach with Las Vegas.

David Hixon:  Hixon was Amherst College’s Men Head Coach for 42 years, winning two Division III National Championships and two Division III Head Coach of the Year Awards.

Gene Keady:  Keady was the Head Coach for Purdue for 25 years and led the Boilermakers to six Big Ten Regular Season Titles.  He is a seven-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Dirk Nowitzki:  A Finalist on his first year on the ballot, Nowitzki was the centerpiece for the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade, and took them to their first NBA Championship in 2011.  The 2007 MVP was a four-time First Team, five-time Second Team and three-time Third Team All-NBA recipient and also was named to the NBA 75^th Anniversary Team.

Tony Parker:   Parker won four NBA Championships with the San Antonio Spurs and was a six-time All-Star.  The 2007 NBA Finals MVP was a three-time Second Team All-NBA player and would represent France in many tournaments, most notably winning EuroBasket Gold in 2013.

Gregg Popovich:  Popovich is still active, and is already a legend in basketball coaching.  “Pop” led the Spurs to five NBA Championships.  He is also a three-time NBA Coach of the Year and the was the Head Coach for the U.S. Team that won Gold at the 2020 Olympics.

Jim Valvano:  Valvano is a posthumous induction, who is best known for leading an underdog North Carolina State to a National Championship in 1983.  He would pass away from cancer, but not before he set up the V Foundation that donates funds toward cancer research.

Dwyane Wade:  Wade was the long-time Point Guard with the Miami Heat where he won three NBA Championships.  The first ballot nominee went to 13 All-Star Games, and was an eight-time All-NBA Selection (two First Team, three Second Team and three Third Team).  He is also a 75^th Anniversary Team.

We will be revising our Notinhalloffame.com Basketball list next month.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

As part of the impending NBA All-Star festivities, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has announced their Finalists for the Class of 2023.

They are:

Jennifer Azzi:  The former Stanford Point Guard led the Cardinal to a National Championship in 1990, winning the Final Four MVP, and the Naismith Award during the regular season.  Internationally, she won Gold for the United States in the 1996 Olympics and 1990 and 1998 FIBA World Championships.  

Gene Bess:  Bess had a career record of 1,300-416 making him the winningest coach in NCAA history.  Spending his entire career at Three Rivers Community College, he is a two-time Junior College Champion as a Coach.

Gary Blair:  Blair coached for 37 years, most notably leading the women’s program at Texas A&M to a National Championship in 2011.  He had a lifetime record of 852-346.

Pau Gasol:  The Spanish Center went to six All-Star Games and helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to two NBA Championships.  Gasol also was a two-time Second Team and two-time Third Team All-NBA player and while representing Spain, he is a two-time Olympic Silver Medalist, won an Olympic Bronze, and also led his country to Gold in the 2006 World Cup.

Becky Hammon:  Hammon was a six-time WNBA Selection and was named to the NBA 15^th, 20^th, and 25^th Anniversary Team.  She won Bronze representing Russia in the 2008 Olympics and was the first female Assistant Coach in the NBA (San Antonio).  Hammon won the WNBA Championship in her first year as a Head Coach with Las Vegas.

David Hixon:  Hixon was Amherst College’s Men Head Coach for 42 years, winning two Division III National Championships and two Division III Head Coach of the Year Awards.

Gene Keady:  Keady was the Head Coach for Purdue for 25 years and led the Boilermakers to six Big Ten Regular Season Titles.  He is a seven-time Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Dirk Nowitzki:  A Finalist on his first year on the ballot, Nowitzki was the centerpiece for the Dallas Mavericks for over a decade, and took them to their first NBA Championship in 2011.  The 2007 MVP was a four-time First Team, five-time Second Team and three-time Third Team All-NBA recipient and also was named to the NBA 75^th Anniversary Team.

Tony Parker:   Parker won four NBA Championships with the San Antonio Spurs and was a six-time All-Star.  The 2007 NBA Finals MVP was a three-time Second Team All-NBA player and would represent France in many tournaments, most notably winning EuroBasket Gold in 2013.

Gregg Popovich:  Popovich is still active, and is already a legend in basketball coaching.  “Pop” led the Spurs to five NBA Championships.  He is also a three-time NBA Coach of the Year and the was the Head Coach for the U.S. Team that won Gold at the 2020 Olympics.

Dwyane Wade:  Wade was the long-time Point Guard with the Miami Heat where he won three NBA Championships.  The first ballot nominee went to 13 All-Star Games, and was an eight-time All-NBA Selection (two First Team, three Second Team and three Third Team).  He is also a 75^th Anniversary Team.

Marian Washington:  Washington was the Women’s Head Coach for Kansas from 1979 to 2003 and had a record of 560-363.

The Class of 2023 will be announced during this year’s Final Four

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate those who made it to this stage.

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced the eight-person Class of 2022, pared down from 12 Finalists announced last month.

The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on June 11.

The Class of 2022 are::

Debbie Antonelli (Broadcaster).  Antonelli has been a broadcaster for 34 years and has worked for ESPN, CNS, FOX, Westwood One and the Big Ten Network.

Alice “Cookie” Barron (Player).  Barron played for the Waylon Baptist Flying Queens and helped them win three National Championships.  She also helped take the United States to Gold in the 1957 FIBA World Championship.

Doug Bruno (Coach).  Bruno has been the Head Coach at DePaul since 1986, and as of this writing has a record of 731-357 and has won five Big East Tournaments.  He also won two Olympic Gold Medals for the United States as an Assistant Coach for the United States (2012 & 2016).

Becky Hammon (Player).  Hammon is easily the biggest name on this list, and six-time WNBA All-Star and two-time First Team All-WNBA Selection.  Hammon played pro for the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars, and would later become an Assistant Coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA.  Currently the Head Coach of the Las Vegas Aces, Hammon was named to the WNBA 15^th, 20^th and 25^th Anniversary Team, and Internationally won an Olympic Bronze Medal for Russia in 2008.

DeLisha Milton-Jones (Player).  Milton-Jones was the 1997 SEC Player of the Year, and the Florida Gator would later be drafted fourth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 1999, and helped them win two Titles (2001 & 2002).  She also played for the Washington Mystics, New York, and Atlanta Dream and was a three-time WNBA All-Star.  Milton is currently the Head Coach at Old Dominion.

Paul Sanderford (Coach).  Sanderford took Western Kentucky to three Final Fours.

Bob Schneider (Coach).  Schneider won five State (Texas) High School Titles and 634 Wins in Division II.

Penny Taylor (Player).  From Australia, Taylor played nineteen professionally years, most notably for the Phoenix Mercury where she won three WNBA Championships.  A three-time WNBA All-Star and one-time First Team WNBA Selection, Taylor won two Silver Medals and a FIBA World Championship for the Aussies.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest members of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced the Finalists for the Class of 2012, which consists of 12 candidates.

The inductees will be announced on February 14 on ESPN2 during the Maryland vs Iowa game.  Those inducted will be enshrined on June 11.

The Finalists are:

Debbie Antonelli (Broadcaster).  Antonelli has been a broadcaster for 34 years and has worked for ESPN, CNS, FOX, Westwood One and the Big Ten Network.

Alice “Cookie” Barron (Player).  Barron played for the Waylon Baptist Flying Queens and helped them win three National Championships.  She also helped take the United States to Gold in the 1957 FIBA World Championship.

Evelyn Blalock (Coach).  Blalock took Kilgore College to theww Junior College National Championships.

Cathy Boswell (Player).  Boswell was a two-time All-American at Illinois State and an Olympic Gold Medalist for the U.S. in 1984.  

Doug Bruno (Coach).  Bruno has been the Head Coach at DePaul since 1986, and as of this writing has a record of 731-357 and has won five Big East Tournaments.  He also won two Olympic Gold Medals for the United States as an Assistant Coach for the United States (2012 & 2016).

Becky Hammon (Player).  Hammon is easily the biggest name on this list, and six-time WNBA All-Star and two-time First Team All-WNBA Selection.  Hammon played pro for the New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars, and would later become an Assistant Coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA.  Currently the Head Coach of the Las Vegas Aces, Hammon was named to the WNBA 15^th, 20^th and 25^th Anniversary Team, and Internationally won an Olympic Bronze Medal for Russia in 2008.

Donna Lopiano (Administrator).  Lopiano was the Women’s Athletic Director at Texas from 1975 to 1992 and the CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation from 1992 to 2007.

Lisa Mattingly (Referee).  Mattingly has officiated in both the WNBA and College, and has refereed in 17 Final Fours.

DeLisha Milton-Jones (Player).  Milton-Jones was the 1997 SEC Player of the Year, and the Florida Gator would later be drafted fourth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 1999, and helped them win two Titles (2001 & 2002).  She also played for the Washington Mystics, New York, and Atlanta Dream and was a three-time WNBA All-Star.  Milton is currently the Head Coach at Old Dominion.

Paul Sanderford (Coach).  Sanderford took Western Kentucky to three Final Fours.

Bob Schneider (Coach).  Schneider won five State (Texas) High School Titles and 634 Wins in Division II.

Penny Taylor (Player).  From Australia, Taylor played nineteen professionally years, most notably for the Phoenix Mercury where she won three WNBA Championships.  A three-time WNBA All-Star and one-time First Team WNBA Selection, Taylor won two Silver Medals and a FIBA World Championship for the Aussies.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the 12 Finalists for making it this far.