Springfield, Mass. (August 11, 2021) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the list of Hall of Famers scheduled to present the Class of 2021 at the Enshrinement Ceremony to be held Saturday, September 11 at MassMutual Center. More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to be in attendance for the ceremony, including all presenters.
Members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021 were asked to select previous inductees to accompany and present them to their peers. The choice is solely the decision of the incoming Hall of Famers, or their family members if recognized posthumously.
The Class of 2021 inductees are ninth-winningest coach in NBA history Rick Adelman, two-time NBA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh, NBA Finals MVP and 10-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce, the first Black NBA head coach Bill Russell, four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Champion Ben Wallace, five-time NBA All-Star and NBA Rookie of the Year Chris Webber, two-time NCAA national champion Villanova coach Jay Wright, seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith and seven-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson.
Distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game also selected seven directly elected honorees: Val Ackerman, Cotton Fitzsimmons and Howard Garfinkel from the Contributor Committee, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins from the Early African American Pioneers Committee, Toni Kukoc from the International Committee, Bob Dandridge from the Veterans Committee and Pearl Moore from the Women’s Veterans Committee.
The 2021 Hall of Fame Inductees and Presenters:
Val Ackerman, presented by Russ Granik (’13), Rick Welts (’18)
Rick Adelman, presented byVlade Divac (’19), Jack Sikma (’19)
Chris Bosh, presented byRay Allen (’18), Pat Riley (’08)
Bob Dandridge, presented byOscar Robertson (’80)
Cotton Fitzsimmons, presented by Charles Barkley (’06), Jerry Colangelo (’04), Phil Knight (’12)
Howard Garfinkel, presented byJohn Calipari (’15), Grant Hill (’18), Bobby Hurley (’10)
Yolanda Griffith, presented byVan Chancellor (’07)
Lauren Jackson, presented by Sheryl Swoopes (’16)
Clarence Jenkins, presented by Wayne Embry (’99)
Toni Kukoc, presented byMichael Jordan (’09),Jerry Reinsdorf (’16)
Pearl Moore, presented bySylvia Hatchell (’13)
Paul Pierce, presented byKevin Garnett (’20)
Bill Russell, presented byCharles Barkley (’06), Julius Erving (’93), Spencer Haywood (’15), Alonzo Mourning (’14), Bill Walton (’93), Rick Welts (’18)
Ben Wallace, presented byLarry Brown (’02)
Chris Webber, presented byIsiah Thomas (’00)
Jay Wright, presented byCharles Barkley (’06), Bill Cunningham (’86), Herb Magee (’11), George Raveling (’15)
Tickets for the 2021 Enshrinement Ceremony and all Enshrinement events are on sale now and available online at www.hoophall.com or by calling the Basketball Hall of Fame at (413) 231-5513. As the health and safety of Hall of Famers, fans and staff is of the utmost importance, the Basketball Hall of Fame is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and will provide appropriate health and safety measures for all events.
For more information and the latest updates, visit www.hoophall.com/Enshrinement or follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #21HoopClass or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
Basketball Hall of Fame Media Contact:
Nicole Taylor,Position Sports, [email protected]