Hall of Fame Inductee, Carmelo Anthony, shows off his new HOF jacket.

Former Newton South (MA) and Northwestern U. point guard Veronica Burton is the WNBA rookie of the year.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier is vying for her first WNBA MVP Award.

The names of Maya Moore, Dwight Howard, Sylvia Fowles, Sue Bird, Carmelo Anthony, the 2008 U.S. Olympics Men’s “Redeem Team,” Billy Donovan (coach), Danny Crawford (NBA referee-32 years, 1985-2017), Mickey Arison (Miami Heat owner) along with NBA pioneers Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton headline the marquee of this year’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductees.

The resumes of this 2025 class are among the best in basketball history. You can find the complete stories of the inductees at nba.com/halloffame/2025.

Here are some of the memorable comments from the ceremony:

Maya Moore “One of the most profound aspects of team sports is seeing a group of individuals over time start to trust each other and play for each other. In life, we are all teammates on this earth. That is where ‘true championship culture’ exists.”

Dwight Howard “You only die once, but you live every day.”

LeBron James spoke about the late, great Kobe Bryant, a member of the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal-winning USA Men’s Basketball Team. “Kobe was the missing link we needed to regain world dominance with Team USA. He brought a sense of seriousness to the team. We knew that when he joined the team and brought his total commitment, we all had to lock in to raise our games to his level. I was 23 years old and proud to be on the court with that man. And when we stood on the podium and raised our gold medals, I am sure we made him proud of us.”

Jason Kidd, team captain and the only basketball player to “Kobe and LeBron set the tone every day. I was truly blessed to represent my country every time I was called upon.”

Sue Bird, a five-time Olympic Gold Medal winner and four-time WNBA champion for the Seattle Storm, was the only WNBA player to win championships in three different decades. She was also the first WNBA player to have a statue raised to celebrate her 21- year professional playing career. “My playing career was defined by finding my sense of ‘belonging’ in the game of basketball. There was no WNBA when I was growing up in the game, but thanks to great teammates, coaches, doctors and massive fan support, I am now a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. And I get too close by saying something that point guards don’t often get to say: ‘Thanks for the assist.’ Bird accomplished this feat despite having undergone six surgeries on her left knee alone.

Carmelo Anthony, winner of four Olympic Gold Medals for USA Basketball: “I take my place in the Hall of Fame, but the real honor is knowing that I never walked alone; you walked with me. My story is your story. When people ask you, ‘Where does greatness come from?’ Tell them it starts in the dirt, it starts in the dark. It starts with a whisper that says, ‘I will not be denied.’”

The WNBA Playoffs began on Sept. 14 with the following results in the first round, best-of-three competition:

The top-seeded Minnesota Lynx gave the expansion Valkyries a rude awakening to postseason competition by way of a 101-72 drubbing. Naphessa Collier, the leading candidate for the league’s regular-season Most Valuable Player Award, led her Lynx with 20 points and six rebounds, and got support from her teammates, who placed four others in double figures.

The eighth-seeded Seattle team jumped out to an early 10-point advantage before the Lynx found their game and dominated the action the rest of the way.

The second-seeded Las Vegas Aces continue to be the hottest team in the WNBA, extending their current win streak to 17 games, surpassing their previous franchise record of 13, and are one shy of the all-time WNBA record of 18, held by the 2001 Los Angeles Sparks. A’ja Wilson, three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player, is making a strong case for a fourth MVP award after her dominant performance in her team’s lopsided 102-77 defeat of the seventh-seeded Seattle Storm. Wilson’s numbers: 29 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals as well as her sterling play during the Aces win streak, which has taken her team from the lower realm of the league standings all the way to the number two seed, has raised her MVP status in the eyes of voters — especially when one considers that Napheesa Collier missed 11 games due to injury. No previous WNBA MVP has ever missed more than five games.

The third-seeded Atlanta Dream beat the sixth-seeded Indiana Fever, minus Caitlin Clark, by a final score of 80-68. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard led the Dream with 20 points each to offset a 27-point effort by Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell on nine of 18 shooting from the floor. She received little help from her teammates, who combined for just 41 points on 13 of 45 shots (28.8%).