The enshrinement of the 2025 Naismith Hall of Fame class is about a month away, and in preparation for the event, the list of presenters has been announced. There’s no shortage of star power in the names that will be presenting the nine members of the 2025 class featuring Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Geno Auriemma, Patrick Ewing and Swin Cash, among others.
Presenters are chosen from members already in the Basketball Hall of Fame, and those chosen then honor the recipients during the enshrinement ceremony where they’ll give speeches about those who are going to be inducted.
Here are the list of presenters and who they will be awarding:
|
Carmelo Anthony |
Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson |
|
Dwight Howard |
Dominique Wilkins, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman, Patrick Ewing |
|
Maya Moore |
Lindsay Whalen, Swin Cash, Tamika Catchings, Seimone Augustus, Geno Auriemma |
|
Sue Bird |
Geno Auriemma, Swin Cash |
|
Sylvia Fowles |
Lindsay Whalen, Katie Smith |
|
2008 USA Men’s national team |
Jason Kidd, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Jerry Colangelo, Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzyzewski |
|
Billy Donovan |
Maurice Cheeks, Rick Pitino |
|
Danny Crawford |
Isiah Thomas, Tim Hardaway |
|
Micky Arison |
Alonzo Mourning, Pat Riley, Dwyane Wade |
What immediately stands out is the group of names Howard chose to present him for his induction. He posted on social media on April 10 that he would love to have Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as his presenters, though only Rodman is on the official list. O’Neal even agreed that he would do it, saying “Of course, that’s my guy.” But now that the official list is out, it appears as though O’Neal won’t be part of the presenters for Howard.
It’s unclear what the mix up is there, but we won’t get to see O’Neal sharing a fond memory of Howard at the ceremony which would’ve certainly been entertaining given their many, many years of public beefs that have since been squashed.
Elsewhere amongst the presenters, UConn coach Geno Auriemma will send two of his former players into the hall as he’ll be presenting for both Sue Bird and Maya Moore. Swin Cash will also present both WNBA and college basketball legends, as she played with and won a championship with Bird on the Seattle Storm, and was one of the players Moore watched growing up and has since formed a close relationship.
The Naismith Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled to take place on Sept. 6 in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the presenters will honor the recipients before being enshrined.
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