The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame dropped its Class of 2026 finalists on Wednesday, with WNBA icons Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne leading the lineup of 21 women's and men's players, coaches, and referees.
Two-time MVP Parker retired in 2024 as the only WNBA player to win championships with three different teams, and remains the only player in league history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (2008).
Fellow retired two-time MVP Delle Donne became the first player in WNBA history to register a 50/40/90 season, doing so en route to claiming a first-ever league championship with the Washington Mystics in 2019.
Joining Parker and Delle Donne on the Hall of Fame finalist roster are fellow WNBA veterans and Team USA Olympic gold medalists Jennifer Azzi and Chamique Holdsclaw, as well as Molly Bolin-Kazmier, a prolific scorer and the first player signed to the sport's first-ever pro league in the US — the Women's Professional Basketball League (1978-1981).
Notably, Azzi is on the ballot twice, as her Olympic gold medal-winning 1996 US Women's National Team — whose roster also includes Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Dawn Staley, plus Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer — made the cut for helping to "elevate the global profile of women's basketball and [contribute] to the launch of the WNBA."
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame will announce the official Class of 2026 during the NCAA Final Four in early April, with the induction ceremony set for Saturday, August 15th.
