Rivers among nine inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame

Amar e Stoudemire, former NBA star, and veteran coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers were among nine inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday. Other honorees included NBA referee Joey Crawford, who officiated 2,561 regular-season games and 50 NBA Finals, as well as coaches Mike D Antoni and Mark Few. The honorees also included women legends: Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, and Chamique Holdsclaw, along with the undefeated 1996 US Olympic gold medal team.

Rivers, who resigned as Milwaukee Bucks coach in April, boasts an NBA coaching record of 1,194-866 over 27 seasons with Orlando, Boston, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. He won his sole NBA title in 2008 with Boston and earned the NBA Coach of the Year award in 2000 with Orlando. Rivers also led the Bucks to the NBA Cup in 2024.

Stoudemire, a six-time NBA All-Star forward, averaged 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game over 14 seasons with Phoenix, New York, Dallas, and Miami. He was a pivotal member of Phoenix's "Seven Seconds or Less" rapid-tempo era, shaped by coach D Antoni, who was inducted as a contributor and coached Stoudemire in New York. Stoudemire cherished the challenge that D Antoni brought, stating, "That pushes me to be my best."

Parker, Delle Donne, and Holdsclaw are celebrated women inductees. Parker won three Women's NBA championships and was named MVP twice. Delle Donne was a two-time MVP and led Washington to the 2019 championship. Holdsclaw, a six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time college title winner, also played in the 2000 Olympic gold medal game.

Crawford's NBA refereeing career spanned 39 seasons from 1977-2016, with officiating 2,561 regular-season games and 50 NBA Finals, working every final from 1986-2015. Few, the current head coach of Gonzaga, holds the record for the most wins by an active US college basketball coach, leading the Bulldogs to two national championship games.