Number of Players in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Annual attendance at the Hall of Fame Museum is around 200,000 people who come to learn more about the sport, engage with the hands-on exhibitions, and practice their talents on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” The Hall of Fame, which honours the top players in the game with its annual Enshrinement Ceremony, also hosts over 70 high school and collegiate events nationwide and internationally each year.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which is situated in Springfield, Massachusetts, recognizes outstanding basketball players, all-time great coaches, officials, and other significant contributors to the game. It is named for James Naismith, who created the sport in 1891 and was recognized as a contributor by the Hall of Fame in 1959. Nominees need to fulfil a number of requirements in order to be considered for induction. Before becoming eligible, players had to have been in retirement for at least three years.

It is required for Referees to have either been retired for at least three years or, if still active, must have officiated at high-school-level or above programs for at least 25 years. For high school-level programs or higher, coaches must have coached for at least 25 years and have reached the age of sixty. Starting in 2020, coaches must have coached for at least 25 years and have been retired for at least three years if they are still active.

The Hall of Fame and its committees determine if the nominee’s accomplishments are significant enough for the nominee to be inducted as a contributor. Anyone who is up for induction as a contributor may do so at any time. The committees have the power to induct teams as well.

Coaches

Additionally, Lenny Wilkens, John Wooden, Tom Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, and Bill Russell have all been inducted as players. Tom Izzo and John McLendon are the two most recent coaches to be honoured; the latter was the first person to be inducted simultaneously as a coach and contributor after being inducted as a contributor in 1979.

The majority of the honourees were head coaches at colleges. Six coaches have guided a team to the NCAA women’s championship while 32 have guided a team to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s championship. Coaches of the National Basketball Association comprise twenty of the inductees (NBA). One other, Don Nelson, has five NBA championships as a player. Twelve of them have at least one NBA championship as head coaches.

Bobby “Slick” Leonard also won three championships in the previous American Basketball Association. By leading the Kansas Jayhawks (NCAA) and Detroit Pistons (NBA) to championships, Larry Brown is the only member of the Hall of Fame who has also coached a professional basketball team to a championship.

The John Bunn Award, presented yearly by the Hall of Fame for outstanding services to sport, has been given to six coaching inductees: Henry Iba, Red Auerbach, Summitt, Ray Meyer, Wooden, and Morgan Wootten.

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