Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Cheryl Reeve headline 2026 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class
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Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne and Cheryl Reeve headline the 2026 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class that was announced Thursday.
Other players getting inducted on June 27 in Knoxville, Tennessee, include international stars Isabelle Fijalkowski of France and Amaya Valdemoro of Spain. Kirkwood Community College coach Kim Muhl and former Clemson star Barbara Kennedy-Dixon will also be inducted, along with ESPN announcer Doris Burke.
“We are honored to pay tribute to eight distinguished legends of this exceptional sport,” Hall of Fame President Dana Hart said. “They exemplify the highest standards in women’s basketball and have made substantial contributions to the sport, along with shaping the game’s historical trajectory.”
Parker won three WNBA championships, playing for a different team each time, while also helping the U.S. win two Olympic gold medals.
“Coming back to Tennessee for this honor is full circle,” Parker told The Associated Press. “This is where Coach (Pat) Summitt taught me what it means to lead, to compete and to elevate others. To stand here in the same community that impacted me so much and be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is a tribute to Pat’s legacy and to everyone who cheered me on along the way.”
Delle Donne was recently named the national team director of USA Basketball 3-on-3 team. She announced her retirement from the WNBA in April. She won two league MVPs, made seven All-Star appearances in 11 seasons and helped the Washington Mystics win a WNBA championship in 2019.
Reeve has won four titles in her 16 years leading the Minnesota Lynx. She’s been named WNBA coach of the year four times and the league’s executive of the year twice. She also led the U.S. women’s team to a gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Burke has been a basketball voice for the past three decades, working at ESPN since 1991. She’s been a big part of the network’s coverage of the NCAA Tournament and WNBA. She also was a trailblazer, working on ESPN’s men’s college basketball and NBA coverage starting in 2003. She became part of the network’s lead NBA broadcasting team in 2023.
Valdemoro won three titles with the Houston Comets from 1998-2000. She also won eight Spanish League titles. Valdemoro played for Spain at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Fijalkowski won five French League championships and played for the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers for two years.
Muhl has won over 1,000 games in his nearly four decades of coaching and has led his teams to nine national championships.
Kennedy-Dixon was the first Division I women’s basketball scoring leader in 1982, when women’s hoops became an NCAA sport.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball