Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce headline 2021 Hall of Fame finalists

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced 14 finalists for the class of 2021 election, according to a press release. These nine players and five coaches are the candidates to be named Hall-of-Famers when this year’s class is announced on May 16.

This year’s finalists are as follows.

Players:

• Chris Bosh
• Michael Cooper
• Yolanda Griffith
• Tim Hardaway Sr.
• Lauren Jackson
• Marques Johnson
• Paul Pierce
• Ben Wallace
• Chris Webber

Coaches:

• Rick Adelman
• Leta Andrews
• Bill Russell
• Marianne Stanley
• Jay Wright

Hardaway, Johnson, Wallace, Webber and Andrews have been finalists in the past and are receiving consideration again this year. The other nine are first-time finalists, though Russell has – of course – already been inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player.

Among this year’s first-time finalists, Bosh, Pierce and Adelman are a few of the most interesting names. Bosh earned 11 All-Star nods and won a pair of NBA championships before a blood-clotting issue cut his career short. Pierce made 10 All-Star Teams and won a title (and a Finals MVP Award) over the course of his 19 NBA seasons. Adelman, meanwhile, is the ninth-winningest coach in NBA history, with an all-time regular-season record of 1,042-749 (.582).

Due to the coronavirus, 2020’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony couldn’t be held as planned last year and has been rescheduled for May 14-16. The class of 2020 includes Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and the late Kobe Bryant.

The ceremony for the class of 2021 is scheduled to take place in September 2021, following May’s announcement of the inductees.