Tag: basketball hall of fame

Which player is the most likely to end up in the Hall of Fame on the Chicago Bulls’ roster?

For the Bulls, the answer is a fairly straightforward one.

Which player is the most likely to end up in the Hall of Fame on the Chicago Bulls‘ roster? This was a hypothetical question posed to all 30 teams in the NBA in a recent article by Bleacher Report league analyst Dan Favale in a recent article.

For the Bulls, the answer is a fairly straightforward one, given this player is already on the cusp of such an honor at this stage of his career. For Favale, the answer in Chicago is clearly DeMar DeRozan. “Six All-Star selections and three All-NBA nods leave DeRozan just short of the baseline ‘inarguable Hall of Famer’ criteria.”

“But the combination of both coupled with his longevity should erase any doubt,” he adds. “Ditto for his career numbers.”

Noting that DeRozan is currently in his sixth season averaging over 20 points and 5 assists per game, the B/R analyst reminds us that out of the 24 players “with as many or more of these campaigns, Stephon Marbury is the only one outside the Hall of Fame or not considered a lock to make it once he retires.”

“Include someone else from the Chicago Bulls roster at your own risk,” he adds, and when you look at the resumes of players like Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, Andre Drummond, and Alex Caruso, it’s hard to disagree.

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Watch: Niele Ivey praises Muffet McGraw after ACC Tournament title win

Get some tissues ready.

Even though she’s retired from coaching, Basketball Hall of Famer and Notre Dame legend [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] has not slowed down. She’s kept busy these days providing women’s basketball analysis for the ACC Network. Still, she has not shied away from the university she established a legacy at, and [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] didn’t let viewers forget that Sunday.

After ESPN’s coverage of the Irish’s ACC Tournament title win wrapped up, the ACC Network picked up the postgame coverage, and McGraw was there as she has been the entire tournament. Ivey knew that and chose to include her in her triumphant moment, and you can see her reaction in this video from co-analyst Kelly Gramlich:

But that only was the beginning as soon after, Ivey crashed the desk during an interview with tournament MVP [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. After wrapping her mentor in a bear hug, she took the mic and gave her all the praise she could:

The bond that ties these women together is strong and must be admired. Hopefully, we can see this over and over again for a long time to come.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo makes top 10 for point guard award

Another honor for the Irish freshman.

Notre Dame’s [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] is racking up records and honors one at a time. Another one came down from the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hidalgo was named one of 10 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award. This honor is given annually to the top women’s point guard in the country.

Hidalgo, the only freshman finalist, would be the second Irish player to win this award after [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag] did so in 2012 and 2013. However, she’ll face some stiff competition as two-time defending award winner Caitlin Clark of Iowa also is a finalist. The pool, which will be cut to five in March, also includes high scorer McKenna Hofschild of Colorado State and ACC assists leader Georgia Amoore of Virginia Tech.

Given the field she’s in, a lot would have to go right for Hidalgo to come away with this award. Still, the fact that she’s even on this list is evidence of how good she really is. Who knows what else is in store for her between now and March?

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Hannah Hidalgo is USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year

Congrats, Hannah!

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] only has played college basketball for a month, but the Notre Dame freshman phenom already is making an impact. She’s the nation’s leader in steals (6.0 a game) and one of its top scorers (23.6 points a game). But that doesn’t begin to describe what she’s done overall this year.

Hidalgo has won the prestigious USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year award for how well she did in international play this season. During the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup, she averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 assists a game to help the U.S. win the gold medal. Joni Taylor, her coach from that tournament, said it best:

“Hannah Hidalgo is a name you will not forget.”

In winning this award, Hidalgo is joining elite company in more ways than one. She is only the fourth player to win it before beginning her collegiate career, joining Paige Bueckers, Brianna Stewart and Janelle Bailey.

Many women’s basketball legends, some of which remain active and others are enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, have won this award since it was first given out in 1980. These include Diana Taurasi, Teresa Edwards, Lisa Leslie, Dawn Staley, Cheryl Miller, Katrina McClain, A’ja Wilson, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Katie Smith, Natalie Williams, Ruthie Bolton, Chamique Holdsclaw, Seimone Augustus and Lynette Woodard.

If that list is any indication, Hidalgo is on her way to becoming not only an Irish legend but a legend of the sport. It probably wouldn’t surprise her either because she indicated such when Fighting Irish Wire asked her about it after the Irish’s win over Lafayette:

“No, I’m not surprised at all. I think I know what God has blessed me with, and so, it’s a lot easier when I have teammates like the ones that I do. That makes the game just so much easier.”

Here’s to the latest of what should be many more honors for someone who’s just getting started.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame legend Muffet McGraw to have statue outside Joyce Center

Congrats, Coach!

[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] coached herself to two national championships with Notre Dame and the Basketball Hall of Fame. Now, her likeness will live forever outside the Joyce Center. Joining the many Notre Dame coaching legends with statues on the school’s athletic complex, McGraw will have her own statue unveiled before the Irish’s Dec. 17 game against Purdue.

McGraw earned 848 of her 936 career victories at Notre Dame, where she coached the women’s basketball program from 1987 to 2020, finish below .500 only twice during that time. Only six coaches are ahead of her on the all-time Division I wins list. She was named the consensus national coach of the year three times.

McGraw coached 20 WNBA players, five Olympians and 22 All-Americans. Among her most notable players at Notre Dame were [autotag]Ruth Riley[/autotag], [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag], [autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag], [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag], [autotag]Kayla McBride[/autotag] and [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag].

Join us in congratulating this Irish coaching legend. May she serve as an inspiration for Notre Dame women’s basketball players and coaches in the generations to come.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Dwyane Wade gave his dad an absolutely incredible tribute in his Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech

Dwyane Wade did an absolutely incredible job here.

Dwyane Wade will always be known as one of the best-ever to play professional basketball in the NBA.

Now, he’ll also have one of the all-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame speeches to go with his NBA honors.

As Wade was being inducted into the Hall of Fame after his incredible career in the NBA, he paid tribute to his father, Dwyane Wade Sr., and all the support that he gave his son as he was making his basketball dreams come true.

Wade’s tribute to his dad might be one of the coolest moments we’ve ever seen in a ceremony like this, with the absolutely perfect memories and words of immense gratitude concluding with the elder Wade joining his son on the stage to celebrate a lifetime achievement.

Wade’s speech probably didn’t leave a dry eye in the auditorium, and it’s easy to see why. This was a remarkable moment that stands as a strong testament to the power of positive parenting, and how that bond can make incredible moments like this possible.

You can check out Wade’s full induction speech below.

Two-time Notre Dame opponent Carmelo Anthony retires from basketball

Farewell, Melo.

Carmelo Anthony is a lock for the Basketball Hall of Fame, and why wouldn’t he be? He was a 10-time NBA All-Star, made six All-NBA teams and won three Olympic gold medals. Plus, he was named to the league’s 75th anniversary team. Now, nearly 20 years after he was drafted, he has announced his retirement:

While leading Syracuse to the 2003 national championship in his lone season there, Anthony beat Notre Dame twice, and both Big East games were close. When the programs played at Syracuse, he scored 10 points during a 14-2 Orange run that tied the game in the second half, ultimately scoring 26 points. When they reunited in South Bend not long after, he scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half of a game in which he also grabbed 10 rebounds.

As nice as it would have been to see Anthony battle the Irish more, he clearly made the right choice to be one-and-done. Here’s to whatever comes next for him.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Top 10 Notre Dame men’s basketball players according to ChatGPT

Let’s see what AI knows about Irish men’s hoops.

For the past few months, I’ve heard quite a bit about the AI information bot known as ChatGPT. It was the subject of an episode during this past season of “South Park”. More importantly, I’ve heard how it’s such a game-changer that writing jobs are done for. We’ll see about that as I’m not too worried about it, but then again, I’m sure newspaper employees said the same thing about the internet in the mid-1990s.

When our editor Nick Shepkowski decided to ask ChatGPT what it thought Notre Dame’s 10 best football players were, I decided to follow suit and ask the same question but for the 10 best men’s basketball players instead. Keep in mind that even the bot knows this list is subjective:

“Please note that there are many other outstanding players who have played for Notre Dame and could also be included on this list.”

So keep that in mind as you go over the following list, which also includes ChatGPT’s description of each player:

Six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon inducted into basketball Hall of Fame

Hammon is a six-time WNBA All-Star, WNBA Coach of the Year and the first rookie coach to win a WNBA title when she led the Aces to their championship.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 2023 induction class on Saturday, and Becky Hammon is part of it.

Hammon is a six-time WNBA All-Star, two-time All-WNBA first-team member, the 2022 WNBA Coach of the Year and first rookie coach to win a WNBA title. She led the Las Vegas Aces to the 2022 title, the first sports professional championship for the city of Las Vegas.

Hammon made history with the San Antonio Spurs when she became the first female assistant coach officially hired by an NBA team. She coached under Gregg Popovich for eight seasons. Popovich is the NBA’s all-time winningest coach with more than 1,360 wins with the Spurs. He is also being inducted into the Hall in 2023.

Popovich has always championed Hammon and lauded her basketball knowledge. He even spoke to the Aces during their championship run.

Enshrinement weekend will start Friday, Aug. 11 at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort, the home of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Coincidentally, the Sun are the team the Aces beat to secure their first WNBA championship. The festivities kick off with an awards gala, the Class of 2023 jacket and ring presentations and the annual Hall of Fame Awards.

The Class of 2023 will be enshrined in the Hall on Saturday, Aug. 12 in Springfield’s historic Symphony Hall in Massachusetts.

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Watch: Notre Dame coach’s son pulls a Chris Webber

Gotta know the timeout situation if you’re inbounding in the final seconds of a close game.

We’re sure that Detroit Pistons rookie Jaden Ivey, the son of Notre Dame coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag], will have a fine NBA career. Like with any rookie, he’s bound to make mistakes as he gets a feel for the professional game. However, it’s unlikely anyone had him celebrating Chris Webber’s 50th birthday in fitting fashion on their bingo card.

In the closing seconds of a game against the Chicago Bulls, the Pistons had a chance to tie or maybe win after mounting a furious fourth-quarter rally. Ivey was charged with inbounding the ball out of the Pistons’ final timeout. He couldn’t find any open teammates, and in an effort to avoid a five-second violation, he did something that undoubtedly triggered PTSD for the many Michigan fans that had to have been present at Little Caesars Arena:

It’s unfortunate that Webber had a Hall of Fame career and calling a timeout with none left in the national championship game remains his legacy. However, sports fans don’t forget mistakes in high-stakes situations, so here we are.

The good news for Ivey is this gaffe, which played a key role in the Pistons’ 117-115 loss, won’t be nearly as remembered. Plus, he has a brilliant basketball mind in his mother who should help them through this. He’ll be OK.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

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