Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne Headline 2026 Basketball Hall of Fame Class
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Former WNBA Most Valuable Players Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne will enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2026, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Parker, the only athlete in league history to capture championships with three different franchises, secured titles with the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces. She remains the sole player to claim Rookie of the Year and MVP honors in the same WNBA season, accomplishing the feat in 2008. Her résumé also features two NCAA titles at Tennessee, two Olympic gold medals and two league MVP awards.
Delle Donne, a two-time WNBA MVP in 2015 and 2019, became the first player to finish a season shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line. She led the Washington Mystics to their first championship in 2019.
The 2026 class also includes Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who ranks eighth on the NBA’s all-time coaching wins list with 1,191 victories and guided the Boston Celtics to the 2008 championship. Former NBA forward Amar’e Stoudemire, the 2003 Rookie of the Year and a six-time All-Star best known for his pick-and-roll success with Steve Nash in Phoenix, will join them. Stoudemire’s 14-year career included stints with the Suns, Knicks, Mavericks and Heat.
Induction ceremonies are scheduled for August in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Source: ESPN
