Springfield, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced nine players and five coaches as finalists for the Class of 2021, and Georgia Tech Hall of Famer Chris Bosh is among those named by the North American and Women’s committees to be considered for election in 2021.
This year’s list includes nine first-time finalists: ninth-winningest coach in NBA history Rick Adelman, two-time NBA champion and 11-time NBA All-Star Bosh, five-time NBA champion and five-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Michael Cooper, NBA Finals MVP and 10-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce, the first Black NBA head coach Bill Russell, two-time NCAA national champion Villanova coach Jay Wright, seven-time WNBA All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith, seven-time WNBA All-Star and three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson, and NCAA national champion and WNBA Coach of the Year Marianne Stanley.
Previous finalists included again this year for consideration are: the all-time winningest high school coach Leta Andrews, five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, consensus National Collegiate Player of the Year Marques Johnson, four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace, and five-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber.
A member of the Gold-medal-winning USA Basketball team at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Chris Bosh became part of Georgia Tech basketball’s return to national prominence in the mid-2000s. In his one season on The Flats, Bosh earned second-team All-ACC honors and was the scoring and rebounding leader for a Yellow Jacket team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT. Though he entered the NBA Draft following his freshman year, he helped set the stage, along with future Tech Hall of Famers Jarrett Jack and B.J. Elder, for the Jackets’ run to the NCAA championship game in 2004. While at Tech, he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year and a Freshman All-America by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He was made the fourth overall pick in 2003 by Toronto in the NBA Draft and went on to earn two NBA titles with the Miami Heat. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star and also was a member of the USA bronze medal team at the 2006 World Championships.
"I'm actually speechless" – @ChrisBosh finding out live on #TheJump that he is a @HoopHall Class of 2021 Finalist. Big thanks to Chris' wife @MrsAdrienneBosh for helping us pull off this surprise – just so cool. pic.twitter.com/ZG5XXiRQ7P
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 9, 2021
Congratulations to 11x @NBAAllStar, 2x @NBA Champion and Olympic Gold medalist, #21HoopClass finalist Chris Bosh. pic.twitter.com/Gvki9U11wA
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) March 9, 2021
The entire Class of 2021, including those selected by the direct elect committees, will be unveiled on May 16, 2021. Direct elect committees include the International Committee, Men’s and Women’s Veterans Committees, the Early African American Pioneer Committee and the Contributor Committee. Event details are forthcoming, and the announcement timeline is subject to change. The Class of 2021 Enshrinement ceremony is scheduled to take place in September 2021. The date of the Class of 2021 Ceremony will be announced prior to the Class of 2021 Announcement on May 16.
As previously announced, the Class of 2020 Enshrinement ceremony has been rescheduled and relocated due to COVID-19 and is scheduled for May 14-16, 2021 at Mohegan Sun.
For ticket information regarding the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 and 2021 Enshrinement ceremonies and various events surrounding the ceremonies please visit www.hoophall.com. For the latest news and updates, follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.
Chris Bosh was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and the Support The Swarm Fund, created to give fans an opportunity to help Georgia Tech athletics maintain its recent momentum through the financial challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its fifth year under head coach Josh Pastner, having finished fourth in the ACC in 2020-21, the program’s highest finish since 2004. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
