Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are set to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice this year. LeBron James and Chris Paul will join them in the Hall as well, even though they’re still active players.
Anthony and Howard were revealed on Saturday as inductees in the Class of 2025, alongside the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team on which they played – famously known as the “Redeem Team.” This team secured a gold medal at the Beijing Games, initiating a dominant run of five consecutive Olympic golds for USA Basketball’s men’s program.
Others honored for induction include WNBA legends Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Bulls coach and two-time NCAA champion Billy Donovan, Miami Heat’s managing general partner Micky Arison, and long-serving NBA referee Danny Crawford.
Reflecting on the honor, Dwight Howard expressed his excitement by saying, “I made it to the real basketball heaven. It’s crazy.” The induction events are scheduled for September 5-6, taking place at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Carmelo Anthony shared his experience of receiving the news, saying on a televised announcement, “When the call comes and in my case, I saw Springfield on the phone… You know who it is… You’re in. And for me, it was a burden off my shoulders.”
Donovan is recognized for leading Florida to back-to-back college titles while Arison was instrumental in Miami clinching NBA titles in 2006, 2012, and 2013. Meanwhile, Crawford, who officiated NBA games for 32 years, was selected to oversee the NBA Finals on 23 occasions.
“For some, this is an individual honor,” Arison commented. “But for me, this is a testament to what everyone at the Heat – players, coaches, staff, and fans – has built together.”
The five individuals – Bird, Moore, Fowles, Howard, and Anthony – collectively participated in 11 WNBA or NBA championship teams, captured 15 Olympic gold medals, made 37 All-NBA or All-WNBA appearances, and were named All-Stars 45 times.
Sue Bird described the honor as “surreal,” reflecting on the magnitude of her selection. Sylvia Fowles echoed a similar sentiment, noting, “I don’t think any one of us start out thinking we’ll be Hall of Famers. You just do your job… and when it’s done, here we are.”
The selection of the Redeem Team means Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd, and the late Kobe Bryant, already in the Hall of Fame, effectively enter again. James and Paul, certain future Hall of Fame members upon retirement, were also a part of this Olympic team, along with Anthony, Howard, Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Tayshaun Prince.
Jerry Colangelo, who managed the team, is now the chairman of the Hall of Fame. Mike Krzyzewski, former Duke coach and another Hall of Fame inductee, coached the 2008 Olympic team. “It was the best group of guys. Kobe was really the key. He was the greatest and everyone looked up to him,” Krzyzewski reminisced.
Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others tragically died in a helicopter crash in 2020, and he was posthumously inducted into the Hall later that year.
The Redeem Team earned its name for restoring USA Basketball’s supremacy on the global stage after the 2004 Olympic team only secured a bronze medal in Athens. The team achieved an 8-0 run in Beijing, winning by an average margin of 27.9 points.
Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO, expressed delight, stating, “The Redeem Team’s celebrated run in Beijing marks a pivotal moment in U.S. men’s Olympic basketball history, propelling us to five straight gold medals.” He commended members like Anthony and Howard as instrumental in the success of USA Basketball.
UConn’s women’s program already boasts coach Geno Auriemma, Swin Cash, and Rebecca Lobo as Hall of Famers, and with Bird and Moore’s induction, New England is set for an exciting weekend.
“To me, they are hall of famers as much for their families as for the fans,” said Auriemma. “Even the UConn haters can’t deny it.”