Bird, Moore, Melo, Donovan lead '25 HOF class

Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard are going into the Basketball Hall of Fame aboriginal this year, not erstwhile but twice. And LeBron James and Chris Paul are portion of the radical that's headed to the Hall arsenic well, adjacent earlier their playing careers end.

Anthony and Howard were announced Saturday arsenic members of the Class of 2025, arsenic was the 2008 U.S. Olympic men's hoops squad that they played connected -- dubbed the "Redeem Team" -- that captured golden astatine the Beijing Games and started a tally of 5 consecutive Olympic titles and counting for USA Basketball's men's program.

Also selected for enshrinement: WNBA greats Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Bulls manager and two-time NCAA champion Billy Donovan, Miami Heat managing wide spouse Micky Arison and longtime NBA referee Danny Crawford.

"I made it to the existent hoops heaven," Howard said. "It's crazy."

Enshrinement play is Sept. 5-6 astatine Mohegan Sun successful Uncasville, Connecticut, and the Hall of Fame successful Springfield, Massachusetts.

"When the telephone comes and, successful my case, I saw Springfield connected the phone," Anthony said connected the televised announcement, "You cognize what clip it is [when] Springfield is connected the phone. You cognize who it is. You get the telephone call, and you hear, 'You're in.' And I deliberation for me, it was a load disconnected of my shoulders."

The UConn women's programme already had manager Geno Auriemma, Swin Cash (enshrined arsenic a player) and Rebecca Lobo (enshrined arsenic a contributor) successful the Hall of Fame, and Bird and Moore going successful unneurotic volition adhd to what's ever a immense play successful New England.

"They're hallway of famers for me, they're hallway of famers for their family, they're hallway of famers for everybody. They're adjacent hallway of famers for UConn haters," Auriemma said. "That's 1 happening they tin each hold on."

Donovan won back-to-back titles arsenic a assemblage manager astatine Florida. Arison oversaw Miami's way to NBA titles successful 2006, 2012 and 2013. Crawford worked NBA games for 32 seasons and was picked to enactment the NBA Finals successful 23 of those years.

"For some, this is an idiosyncratic honor," Arison said. "But for me, this speaks to what our full Heat household -- players, coaches, unit and fans -- person built together."

The Redeem Team's enactment means that Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant -- already enshrined arsenic Hall of Famers -- fundamentally present spell successful for a 2nd time. James and Paul, who are some locks to get into the Hall aft they retire, besides played for that Olympic team, arsenic did Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Tayshaun Prince.

The Redeem Team had that moniker due to the fact that it was tasked with restoring USA Basketball's spot atop the satellite stage, aft the 2004 Olympic squad managed lone a bronze medal astatine the Athens Games. The Redeem Team went 8-0 successful Beijing, winning by an mean of 27.9 points.

"USA Basketball is thrilled to spot the 2008 U.S. Men's Olympic Team elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. "The Redeem Team's celebrated tally successful Beijing marks a pivotal infinitesimal successful U.S. men's Olympic hoops past and has propelled america to 5 consecutive golden medals."