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Basketball Hall of Fame 2015: Complete List of Inductees for This Year's Class

Mike Chiari@mikechiariFeatured ColumnistApril 6, 2015

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Prior to the men's college basketball national championship game in Indianapolis on Monday, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame revealed its 2015 inductees.  

Adam Wexler of KPRC-TV in Houston provided a list of the six individuals the hall will enshrine:

Adam Wexler @KPRC2AdamW

New @Hoophall class: Dick Bavetta, John Calipari, Spencer Haywood, Dikembe Mutombo, JoJo White, Lisa Leslie. (along w/ direct-elects)

The direct-elects Wexler noted, previously announced in February, are Louie Dampier, Lindsay Gaze, Tom Heinsohn, John Isaacs and George Raveling.

Conversely, NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper revealed those who missed out on the Hall of Fame this time around:

Scott Howard-Cooper @SHowardCooper

Finalists who did not get elected: Bill Fitch, Tim Hardaway, Kevin Johnson, Bo Ryan, Robert Hughes and, from Women's field, Leta Andrews.

There is no doubt that the 2015 class is big on star power with longtime NBA center Dikembe Mutombo leading the way. The Georgetown product made a huge impact as a pro, especially on the defensive end, according to NBA History on Twitter:

NBA History @NBAHistory

Congrats to Dikembe Mutombo, elected to @HoopHall; a 4-time @NBA Def POY, 8-time All-Star, 4th overall pick (1991) http://t.co/qQAiAfzXJk

He is joined by a host of other deserving inductees, including NBA referee Dick Bavetta, University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari, former WNBA star Lisa Leslie, Boston Celtics great Jo Jo White and Spencer Haywood, who played for five NBA teams in his career.

Calipari's election comes at an interesting time, as his Wildcats just suffered their first loss of the season to Wisconsin in the Final Four on Saturday. Despite that disappointment, the induction means a lot to Calipari, per KSR's Tyler Thompson:

Tyler Thompson @MrsTylerKSR

John Calipari says when he got the call from the Hall of Fame telling him he's in, he had to pull over the car and got emotional.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame tends to have strong classes since it can pick and choose from so many different areas, and the 2015 class is no exception. The induction ceremony is set for Sept. 11 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

There will inevitably be debates about who should or should not have made it in, but it is tough to argue against the notion that the six inductees are more than deserving.

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