Basketball Legends Anthony and Howard to Enter Hall of Fame Twice in 2025

Basketball Legends Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard to Enter Hall of Fame Twice in 2025

In a remarkable turn of events, basketball icons Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are set to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame not once, but twice this year. Joining them in this prestigious honor are LeBron James and Chris Paul, who are making their way to the Hall even before their illustrious playing careers have concluded.

The announcement came on a Saturday, revealing that Anthony and Howard are part of the Class of 2025. This class also includes the legendary 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, famously known as the “Redeem Team.” This team clinched the gold medal at the Beijing Games, marking the beginning of a streak of five consecutive Olympic titles for USA Basketball’s men’s program.

In addition to these NBA stars, the Hall of Fame will also welcome WNBA greats Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles. Other notable inductees include Chicago Bulls coach and two-time NCAA champion Billy Donovan, Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison, and longtime NBA referee Danny Crawford.

Dwight Howard expressed his overwhelming emotions, stating, “I made it to the real basketball heaven. I’m just overwhelmed with joy, gratitude, all the emotions, every one. The words cannot describe how this moment feels just to be up on this stage to represent my family, to represent my friends, all the people who have went along with this journey with me — the good, the bad and the ugly. It has all led to being up in the Hall of Fame.”

The enshrinement weekend is scheduled for September 5-6 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Carmelo Anthony shared his relief and excitement, saying, “When the call comes and, in my case, I saw Springfield on the phone, you know what time it is [when] Springfield is on the phone. You know who it is. You get the phone call, and you hear, ‘You’re in.’ And I think for me, it was a burden off of my shoulders.”

Billy Donovan, who achieved back-to-back titles as a college coach with Florida, credited his former players and staff for his success. “It’s very overwhelming. It’s very, very humbling,” Donovan said. “I was really, really blessed to have so many great coaches and people around me for such a long period of time. I’m thankful. I’m really humbled sitting up here. I think when you get into the game of basketball, at least for me, I never thought about sitting up here one day and being inducted into the Hall of Fame. You did it because you loved it.”

Micky Arison, who led the Miami Heat to NBA titles in 2006, 2012, and 2013, emphasized the collective effort behind his success. “For some, this is an individual honor,” Arison said. “But for me, this speaks to what our entire Heat family — players, coaches, staff and fans — have built together.”

The individual players selected for the Hall of Fame — Bird, Moore, Fowles, Howard, and Anthony — have collectively been part of 11 WNBA or NBA championship teams, won 15 Olympic gold medals, made 37 All-NBA or All-WNBA appearances, and were named All-Stars 45 times in their careers.

• Sue Bird described her selection as “Surreal,” adding, “I don’t think there’s any way to really wrap your head around it.”
• Sylvia Fowles echoed this sentiment, saying, “I don’t think [any] one of us go into this thinking that we’re going to be Hall of Famers. You just do your job … and when it’s all said and done, the job is complete and here we are.”

The Redeem Team’s induction means that Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd, and Kobe Bryant — already Hall of Famers — will essentially be honored again. LeBron James and Chris Paul, who are sure to be Hall of Famers after retirement, were also part of that Olympic team, along with Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Tayshaun Prince.

Jerry Colangelo, the managing director of that team, now chairs the Hall of Fame. Former Duke coach and 2001 Hall of Fame inductee Mike Krzyzewski, who coached the 2008 Olympic team, praised the players, saying, “We developed a set of standards where all the guys lived by those standards. They were the best group of guys. I wish like crazy that Kobe was here. He was really the key guy, I think. As many great players as we had at that point, he was the greatest and everyone looked up to him.”

Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others tragically died in a helicopter crash in 2020. Bryant was posthumously enshrined into the Hall later that year.

The Redeem Team earned its name by restoring USA Basketball’s dominance on the world stage after the 2004 Olympic team only managed a bronze medal in Athens. The Redeem Team went 8-0 in Beijing, winning games by an average of 27.9 points.

USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley expressed his excitement, stating, “USA Basketball is thrilled to see the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The Redeem Team’s celebrated run in Beijing marks a pivotal moment in U.S. men’s Olympic basketball history and has propelled us to five straight gold medals.”

Tooley also acknowledged the contributions of Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, saying, “Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard, members of that team and individual inductees, are two of the many legends in this Class who have contributed to our organization’s success over the last 20-plus years, including Sue Bird, Billy Donovan, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles.”

The UConn women’s program, already boasting coach Geno Auriemma, Swin Cash, and Rebecca Lobo in the Hall of Fame, will see Bird and Moore join their ranks, adding to the excitement of the Hall of Fame weekend in New England. Auriemma humorously remarked, “They’re Hall of Famers for me, they’re Hall of Famers for their family, they’re Hall of Famers for everybody — they’re even Hall of Famers for UConn haters. That’s one thing they can all agree on.”