Chris Webber, Ben Wallace Headline 2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists
February 15, 2019
Former NBA All-Stars Chris Webber and Ben Wallace headline the finalists for the 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Announced Friday, the full list of finalists includes 13 former coaches, players and officials.
2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Finalists
- Chris Webber (NBA player)
- Ben Wallace (NBA player)
- Leta Andrews (high school basketball coach)
- Hugh Evans (NBA referee)
- Bill Fitch (NBA head coach)
- Marques Johnson (NBA player)
- Bobby Jones (NBA player)
- Sidney Moncrief (NBA player)
- Jack Sikma (NBA player)
- Barbara Stevens (college basketball coach)
- Eddie Sutton (college basketball coach)
- Teresa Weatherspoon (WNBA player)
- Paul Westphal (NBA player)
In addition to the group of finalists, this year's class will include former head coach Del Harris and Harry Glickman, winners of the John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, and Curt Gowdy Media Award winner Marc Stein.
This marks the third straight year Webber has been a finalist for the Hall of Fame. The five-time NBA All-Star averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 15 seasons with five teams. He was also a member of arguably the most famous college basketball team in history, Michigan's Fab Five, from 1991-93.
Wallace was one of the NBA's best defensive players during his 16-year career. His four Defensive Player of the Year Awards are tied for the most since it was first handed out after the 1982-83 season. He also helped the Detroit Pistons win the 2003-04 NBA championship.
Weatherspoon was named one of the WNBA's 20 greatest players in 2016. She was named to five straight WNBA All-Star teams from 1999-2003, won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards in 1997 and 1998 and helped Louisiana Tech win the 1987-88 national championship.
One of the NBA's most efficient scorers during his 12-year playing career, Westphal was named to five consecutive All-Star teams from 1977-81. He helped the Boston Celtics win the 1973-74 NBA Finals and had his No. 44 jersey retired by the Phoenix Suns.
Johnson was a five-time All-Star in 11 NBA seasons. He also won the 1974-75 national championship at UCLA and was named the 1976-77 Naismith College Player of the Year after averaging 21.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Moncrief was a five-time All-Star, four-time All-Defensive first-team selection and a member of the 1982-83 All-NBA first team in 11 seasons.
Sikma was a member of the Seattle Supersonics' lone NBA championship team in 1978-79. He also made seven straight All-Star teams from 1979-85 and had his No. 43 retired by the Supersonics.
Andrews was previously inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. She retired in 2014 with a national high school record 1,416 career wins over 52 years.
Evans retired as an NBA referee after 28 seasons from 1972-2001. He officiated 35 NBA Finals games in his career, with his final one coming in Game 4 of the 2001 series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers.
Fitch spent 37 seasons as a coach at the college and NBA level between 1958-98. He led the Celtics to three straight division titles from 1979-82, winning an NBA title during the 1980-81 season. His 944 career wins rank 10th in league history.
Stevens became the fifth coach in women's college basketball history with at least 1,000 wins when she accomplished the feat at Bentley in January 2018.
Sutton, who is already in the College Basketball Hall of Fame, ranks eighth in Division I history with 806 career victories. He led four different schools to the NCAA tournament, including taking Arkansas (1978) and Oklahoma State (1995, 2004) to the Final Four.
The 2019 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class will be officially announced on April 6 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the same day as the Final Four of the NCAA men's tournament.