Former WNBA MVPs and champions Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne headline the members being inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2026, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.
Parker is the only player in WNBA history who won titles with three different franchises, having won with the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces. She’s also the only player in WNBA history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (2008).
Parker’s dominance stretches beyond her WNBA career. She won the dunk contest at the McDonald’s All American Game in high school, two national championships at Tennessee, two Olympic Gold medals and two WNBA MVP awards.
Delle Donne is also a two-time league MVP (2015 and 2019) and became the first player to finish a season shooting 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 90% from the free throw line. A one-time WNBA champion, she led the Washington Mystics to a title in 2019.
Also on the list of Hall of Fame inductees is current Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers. With 1,191 (and counting) coaching wins on his résumé, Rivers is eighth on the all-time list. He led the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 2008, and was at the helm during the Lob City era LA Clippers.
Former NBA star A’mare Stoudemire will also be part of the Class of 2026, sources told Charania. Stoudemire was the 2003 Rookie of the Year after entering the league directly out of high school, and was named an All-Star six times over the course of his career. He spent his first eight seasons with the Phoenix Suns, where he formed a formidable pick-and-roll duo with point guard Steve Nash. His NBA career spanned 14 years, with stops in New York, Dallas and Miami after his stint in Phoenix.
The formal enshrinement ceremonies for the Hall of Fame are scheduled for August in Springfield, Massachusetts.
