Finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 were announced Wednesday, Feb. 11.
In addition to former WNBA MVPs Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne, three former Phoenix Suns are in the mix for the hoops hall.
Amar’e Stoudemire, Kevin Johnson and Mike D’Antoni among finalists.
Stoudemire, a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player, won Rookie of the Year honors in 2003 with the Suns.
Otherwise known as STAT, the No. 9 overall pick of the 2002 draft played for the Suns, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat over the course of 13 NBA seasons. Despite dealing with serious knee and eye injuries during his career, Amar’e still ranks seventh on the Suns all-time scoring list as well as seventh in field goals made ahead of legends like Steve Nash and Paul Westphal.
He helped form a lethal pick-and-roll combo with the two-time MVP Nash during his stint in The Valley, which was spent in part under Mike D’Antoni as head coach.
D’Antoni, nominated as a Hall of Fame finalist in the contributor category, is credited in part for the style of play we see in the modern NBA. His “Run and Gun” Suns teams headed up by Nash played an uptempo brand of basketball with more of the emphasis on 3-point shooting we see today.
D’Antoni, who wore many hats in the NBA by spending time as a player, coach and executive, amassed a career regular season coaching record of 672-527 — good for a 56% winning percentage. In addition to coaching the Suns for five seasons, D’Antoni coached the Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets.
KJ, a Suns Ring of Honor member, was a five-time All-NBA player and three-time All-Star during his playing career. He won the league’s Most Improved Player award in 1989 with the Suns after averaging 20.4 points, 12.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. He played in 81 games that season (all starts) and shot better than 50% from the field.
The Sacramento, California, native and former No. 7 overall draft pick served as Mayor of Sacramento after his playing days and won a FIBA World Championship gold medal in 1994.
Needless to say, the Suns are well represented this year.
Finalists will be put through a vote by the Honors Committee, where they'll need at least 18 of the 24 votes for induction. The Class of 2026 will be officially announced during the NCAA men's basketball tournament Final Four on Saturday, April 4.