Dirk Nowitzki and Dwyane Wade Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Finalists for this year's Basketball Hall of Fame class is loaded

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Dan Benton | Last updated 2/18/23

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its finalists for the 2023 class on Friday. And to say the list, which includes Dwyane Wade, is stacked would be an understatement.

Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Gregg Popovich are among those who headline the group of 12 finalists.

A truly star-studded class of finalists for this year’s Hall of Fame class, including Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade and Gregg Popovich.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) February 17, 2023

“I love the class,” Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said, via ESPN. “I think this is a loaded class. … I think this is unique in that we have a lot of first-time people and it’s unusual when somebody makes it on the first ballot. But this is going to be that unique of class. Because there could be four or five first-timers. So, I’m very excited about it.”

Other names that appear on the list include Tony Parker, Gene Bess, and Becky Hammon to name a few. And 11 of the 12 are first-time nominees.

“A young Dwyane Wade never thought this moment would be here,” Wade said after the finalists were revealed. “Sometimes when you’re young and you have a dream, a lot of people don’t believe in your dream because it seems so far-fetched. But I’ve always been a dreamer.”

The Honors Committee will determine the class of 2023 and make that announcement on April 1. The enshrinement ceremony will then take place on August 11-12.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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