Parker, EDD, Griffin among finalists for '26 Basketball Hall of Fame class - ESPN

Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne, both former WNBA MVPs and champions, headline the finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 announced Wednesday.

Parker is the only player in WNBA history to win championships with three franchises (the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces). One of the first true positionless basketball players, Parker was a phenom at every level — winning the dunk contest at the McDonald's All American Game in high school, two national championships at Tennessee, two Olympic Gold medals and two WNBA MVP awards.

She's still the only player in WNBA history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (2008).

Delle Donne is also a two-time league MVP (2015 and 2019) who became the first WNBA player to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from 3 and 90% on free throws. She led the Washington Mystics to their first championship in 2019, cementing her legacy as one of the greatest pure shooters the game has seen.

Two members of the LA Clippers' «Lob City» era were also named as finalists. Six-time All-Star Blake Griffin turned around the fortunes of the beleaguered franchise with an electric, high-flying style, punctuated by his win in the 2011 slam dunk contest in which he jumped over a Kia automobile.

Griffin grew into a far more complete player over his 14 seasons in the league, finishing his career with more than 14,000 points and 3,000 assists.

Doc Rivers, who coached many of those Lob City teams, was also selected as a finalist. Rivers, whose 1,114 (and counting) career coaching wins rank eighth on the all-time list, led the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 2008. He is the current coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.

A'mare Stoudemire is a finalist