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Candace Parker, a three-time WNBA champion, is eligible for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for the first time. Ethan Miller / Getty Images
Three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker, five-time All-NBA forward Blake Griffin and three-time Final Four head coach Kelvin Sampson are among the newcomers who will be eligible to be voted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.
The eligible candidates were revealed by the Hall of Fame on Friday — a group that also included the 1996 USA Basketball women’s national team for the first time, as well as Mike D’Antoni, Jamal Crawford, Elena Delle Donne, Joe Johnson and Bruce Pearl.
“The candidates for the Class of 2026 have each left an indelible impact on the game of basketball,” Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame CEO John L. Doleva said in a news release announcing the candidates. “Through defining performances, influential leadership, and achievements that helped elevate the sport on the national and international stage, this year’s ballot recognizes those whose legacy continues to shape how the game is played, coached, and celebrated.”
Parker may be the most accomplished of the group with three WNBA titles, two MVP awards, 10 All-WNBA nods and seven All-Star appearances during a 16-year professional career that included stints with the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces. Before her pro career, she led the Tennessee Lady Vols to national titles in 2007 and 2008.
Pearl and Sampson are notable in that both left head coaching jobs under the cloud of NCAA violations but came back to lead programs to multiple Final Fours. Sampson left Indiana and was hit with a five-year show-cause penalty before taking over at Houston in 2014 and guiding the Cougars to the Final Four in 2021 and 2025. Pearl received a three-year show-cause penalty after six seasons at Tennessee, but re-emerged at Auburn in 2014 and led the Tigers to the NCAA semifinals in 2019 and 2025 before abruptly stepping down this fall.
Finalists will be announced later, with the entire class to be revealed during the men’s Final Four weekend in Indianapolis. The class will be enshrined the weekend of Aug. 14 at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
A full list of eligible candidates was posted on the Hall of Fame website.
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