Meet the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Class

Reaching the hall of fame is the pinnacle of any professional athlete's career. In that moment on stage, all of the bumps, bruises and broken dreams are worth it; you are recognized as an all-time great.

On Saturday, August 12, a new group of players and coaches will achieve that honor and ascend to the top of basketball's metaphorical mountain.

But who are those chosen members of the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023? And what exactly did they do to earn sporting immortality?

Who is in Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2023?

As the name suggests, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame isn't limited to the NBA. It includes all sorts of hardwood-based competition. That reality can be seen in the Class of 2023, which consists of the following names:

• Gene Bess
• Gary Blair
• Pau Gasol
• Becky Hammon
• David Hixon
• Gene Keady
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Tony Parker
• Gregg Popovich
• Jim Valvano
• Dwyane Wade
• 1976 U.S. Women's Olympic Team

What did Bess do to become a Hall of Famer?

Compared to some of the other names on this list, Gene Bess may seem overshadowed. He didn't play in the NBA or even work for a big-time NCAA program. That doesn't mean he failed to make an impact, though.

Bess coached at Three Rivers College and piled up an incredible 1,300-416 record across 50 years, allowing him to retire as the all-time college basketball victories leader. He also won two national titles—1979 and 1992—and coached Latrell Sprewell, who later starred in the NBA.

Blair punched his ticket coaching at Texas A&M

Like Bess, Gary Blair made a name for himself on the sidelines. He spent plenty of time at Stephen F. Austin and Arkansas but truly found success with the Aggies.

Blair spent 19 seasons leading Texas A&M women's basketball, winning 444 games along the way. His teams claimed five conference titles, reached the NCAA Tournament 16 times, and took home the national championship in 2011.

The coach is already a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Pau Gasol is a winner, no matter where he plays

In recent years, basketball has become an increasingly international game. Pau Gasol reaped the rewards of that reality.

After making a name for himself with Barcelona, the big Spaniard made the jump to North America. He was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 2001, but his rights were promptly dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies. Gasol claimed the Rookie of the Year title and never looked back.

The power forward eventually moved on, joining the Los Angeles Lakers and winning two NBA titles. He also suited up for the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks before returning to Barcelona for one final season.

In total, Gasol played more than 1,200 games in the NBA, averaging 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per outing. Beyond his NBA championships, he also three Olympic medals—two silver and one bronze—and a World Cup gold with Spain.

Hammon was star player before making history

These days, Becky Hammon is widely known as a coach. Before moving to the sidelines, though, she had already made quite a name for herself.

After starring at the Colorado State, Hammon joined the New York Liberty as an undrafted free agent. While she began as a backup, the guard grew into a role as both a clutch scorer and a capable facilitator. That didn't change after leaving the Big Apple and joining the San Antonio Silver Stars.

While she never managed to earn a championship ring, Hammon was a six-time WNBA all-star and a two-time All-WNBA first-teamer. She also won a bronze medal during the 2008 Summer Olympics while playing for Russia.

The former guard has since found a home on the sidelines. She joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, becoming an assistant on Gregg Popovich's staff. She also coached the organization's Summer League squad in 2015 and became the first female acting head coach in NBA history after Popovich was ejected from a game in 2020. She's since moved to the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces and led the club to the 2022 championship in her first season on the bench.

All David Hixon ever wanted to do

Earlier on this list, we met some successful college basketball coaches. David Hixon shouldn't be left out of that conversation.

Hixon played his college ball at Amherst and later took over his old team. He ended up spending an incredible 42 years at the helm, tallying an 826-293 record. That resume was bolstered by two national championships and two NCAA Division III Coach of the Year titles.

And while coaching at Amherst might not seem like the most glamorous job around, it was exactly what Hixon wanted.

"I remember in the fall of 1973, myself and some friends were sitting around the dorm at Amherst and someone asked, "Where do you see yourself in 10 years?" Hixon told the school's website. "One said doctor and became a doctor, one said working with computers and worked at IBM, one said psychology/psychiatry and ended up working in that field. I said I wanted to be the next men's basketball coach at Amherst. That's all I ever wanted."

Keady found plenty of success at Purdue

Another coach in the Class of 2023, Gene Keady did most of his work as the Boilermakers' bench boss. He took charge of the team in 1980, and remained on the job through the end of the 2004-2005 season. During that time, Purdue won six Big Ten regular-season titles, and Keady earned seven Big Ten Coach of the Year crowns and five National Coach of the Year awards.

The Kansas native didn't limit his work to the state of Indiana, though. He also coached the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and served as an assistant on the Arkansas and St. John's benches. Keady also briefly made the jump to the NBA, joining the Toronto Raptors as an assistant.

Nowitzki changed Dallas basketball forever

While a big German relocating to Texas may sound like the plot of a sitcom, that's exactly what Dirk Nowitzki did. And, by doing so, he set the stage for NBA history.

Nowitzki started his professional career in Germany and ultimately entered the 1998 NBA Draft. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks, but his rights were traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Things weren't easy, as the forward had to adjust to a massive step-up in competition, but the worm eventually turned.

The Mavs improved, and Nowitzki grew into a unique talent. He may have been a big man, but he was more than capable of handling the ball, drifting to the perimeter, and burying a signature fadeaway jumper.

That skillset helped No. 41 earn 2007 NBA MVP honors. The Mavs would also claim the NBA title in 2011, with Nowitzki also being named NBA Finals MVP.

In total, he spent his entire career in Dallas, becoming the face of the franchise.

Parker also came from abroad to shine in Texas

Nowitzki's journey may have been unusual, but it wasn't unique. Tony Parker followed a similar path to fame and fortune.

After cutting his teeth in his native France, the guard was invited to work out for the San Antonio Spurs. While things didn't seem promising, Popovich decided to give Parker another chance. Things went better the second time around, and the club snagged their target during the 2001 NBA Draft.

The Frenchman arrived as a backup but quickly played his way into the starting lineup. He became a key part of the Spurs' success, forming a dynamic duo with Tim Duncan, and helped the club claim four NBA titles (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014). Parker also took home the NBA Finals MVP crown in 2007.

Parker eventually left Texas, briefly suiting up for the Charlotte Hornets before calling it a career. That departure, however, didn't diminish his impact in San Antonio.

Popovich grew into one of NBA's top coaches

While it can be easy to overlook coaches—the players are the ones making things happen on the court—Gregg Popovich looms large in the modern NBA landscape.

The bench boss first joined the Spurs as an assistant in 1988 but left the organization in 1992 after the entire coaching staff was relieved of duty. He returned to Texas in 1996, though, stepping in as San Antonio's head coach.

Popovich still holds that post today, and he's found plenty of success over the years. He's won five championships and two Coach of the Year crowns. On the international stage, he also led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2020 Olympics.

Players may come and go, but for nearly 20 years, Popovich has been the unifying force holding the Spurs together.

Valvano remembered for something bigger

Speaking in strictly sporting terms, Jim Valvano found success at North Carolina State. After working his way through the ranks—the coach worked at Rutgers, John Hopkins, Connecticut, Bucknell and Iona before joining the Wolfpack—he famously led the Raleigh school to an improbably 1983 championship. The image of Valvano running around the floor, searching for someone to hug, lives on in the collective basketball consciousness.

Beyond that, though, Jimmy V is remembered for his courageous battle against cancer and his eponymous foundation, which he announced to the world during a famous 1993 ESPYs speech.

The coach died in 1993, but his legacy lives on to this day.

Wade one of best guards in modern NBA history

If you watched basketball during the late 2000s and early 2010s, then this is rather self-explanatory. During that time, Dwyane Wade was a force to be reckoned with.

After shining at Marquette, the guard joined the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft. He quickly established himself as a legitimate pro, and things only got better when Shaquille O'Neal arrived in Florida.

In 2010, Wade once again received some elite help. During that summer, LeBron James and Chris Bosh came to Miami, forming a famous Big Three. While things weren't quite as fruitful as Floridians hoped, the trio won three titles.

Wade ultimately bounced around the NBA for a bit before playing his final seasons back in Miami. He retired with three championships and one NBA Finals MVP to his name. The guard also averaged 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists for his career.

That resume speaks for itself.

1976 U.S. Women's Olympic Team

If Wade's success is common knowledge, this one requires a deeper dive into history.

When the 1976 Olympics rolled around, women's basketball wasn't a major draw. As the Basketball Hall of Fame's write-up explains, all 12 players on the United States team were crammed into a two-bedroom flat. If those situations provided a challenge, though, it wasn't evident on the court.

The U.S. squad wasn't able to beat the Soviet Union, but a silver medal was in the cards. That success still proved to be a game-changer.

"These trailblazers, pioneers, and forerunners ushered in the dawn of a new era for women's basketball," the Hall of Fame explains.