INDIANAPOLIS –The Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., today named Tamika Catchings a finalist for the Class of 2020.
Inductees will be revealed during the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Atlanta this April. The announcement of finalists took place Friday during NBA All-Star festivities in Chicago.
Catchings, a member of a championship team at every level – high school, college, professional and Olympic – was just named to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday.
Catchings is currently the general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Indiana Fever, for whom she won a WNBA title in 2012 and was named Finals MVP. Catchings also played on a national champion at the University of Tennessee and was a four-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Press Release
CHICAGO, IL (Feb. 14, 2020) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today, at NBA All-Star Weekend, four extraordinary players and four exceptional coaches, as finalists from the North American and Women’s committees to be considered for election in 2020.
This year’s list includes four first-time finalists: 18-time NBA All-Star and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, 15-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan, 15-time NBA All-Star and nine-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection Kevin Garnett, and 10-time WNBA All-Star and four-time Olympic gold medalist Tamika Catchings.
Previous finalists included again this year for consideration are three-time NCAA National Championship Coach of Baylor Kim Mulkey, five-time Division II National Coach of the Year Barbara Stevens, four-time National Coach of the YearEddie Sutton and two-time NBA Champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich.
“When the nominees for the Class of 2020 were announced in December, we knew this class had the potential of being one of the most historic of all time,” said Jerry Colangelo, Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “The untimely passing of Kobe Bryant has left us in a state of reflective mourning and we’re proud to honor his legacy while also recognizing seven other individuals who have meant so much to our game. We congratulate our finalists and those who have supported them on their journeys, and we look forward to revealing the Class of 2020 at the Final Four in Atlanta.”
Given the magnitude and the unique circumstance surrounding the potential Class of 2020, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Election Process Committee has suspended the Direct Election Categories for one year with the exception of the International Committee. The suspension will affect the Men’s and Women’s Veterans Committees, the Early African American Pioneer Committee, and the Contributor Committee. It is expected these categories will return for consideration for 2021. The goal of this suspension is to provide each enshrinee with the recognition and notoriety he or she deserves upon election.
The complete list of five finalists from the North American Screening Committee includes: players Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett, plus coaches Eddie Sutton and Rudy Tomjanovich. The three finalists from the Women’s Screening Committee include: player Tamika Catchings; and coaches Kim Mulkey and Barbara Stevens.
The Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Announcement will take place on Saturday April 4th at 11:00 AM EST on ESPN from the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, Georgia. A finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2020 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Birthplace of Basketball, August 28-30, 2020. VIP Tickets Packages for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Enshrinement events are on sale at www.hoophall.com. Single event tickets will be available Saturday, April 4th, subject to availability.
TAMIKA CATCHINGS [Player] – Catchings is a 10-time WNBA All-Star (2002, 2003, 2005-2007, 2009, 2011, 2013-2015) and four-time Olympic gold medalist (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016). After winning WNBA MVP in 2011, she led the Indiana Fever to a WNBA Championship in 2012 while collecting WNBA Finals MVP honors. She played her entire 14-year WNBA career with the Fever, while being named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year five times (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012) and Rookie of the Year in 2002. As the WNBA all-time steals leader, Catchings was named a member of the WNBA Top 20 Players in the league’s 20-year history in 2016. With Pat Summitt’s Lady Vols, Catchings won a national championship in 1998 and was named a four-time Kodak First Team All-American (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), as well as the consensus National Player of the Year in 2000.
