Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey among finalists for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Photo Credit: Mickey Shuey/Indianapolis Business Journal

Later this year, Tamika Catchings will give a speech in Knoxville at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, within a hop, skip and jump of her alma mater Tennessee Lady Vols commemorating her enshrinement into the Women’s Hall.

She may have to give a second speech in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Catchings was announced as one of eight finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Catchings’ resume speaks for itself – 10 appearances in the WNBA All-Star Game, the 2002 Rookie of the Year Award, five Defensive Player of the Year Award, the WNBA’s MVP in 2011, four Olympic gold medals and a WNBA championship in 2012. It was great enough for the Hall in Knoxville, it should be good enough for the Hall in Massachusetts.

In addition to Catchings, three-time NCAA national champion coach Kim Mulkey (Baylor Bears) will also be on the ballot for the Hall. Her championships came in 2005, 2012 and 2019 and her teams have appeared in 17 NCAA tournaments since 2000 – including a quartet of Final Four showings. Under Mulkey’s tutelage, Baylor was won 12 Big 12 tournaments. She is the first person to win a title as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

The Women’s Committee also named Barbara Stevens as a finalist. She has coached at Bentley University since 1986 and her teams have appeared in 10 Division II Final Fours – including the 2014 national title. Stevens was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

The list of finalists for the Hall also included two coaches in Oklahoma State’s Eddie Sutton and former Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich in addition to Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and …

The Hall of Fame also announced the winners of the Curt Gowdy Award as those honors were bestowed upon Mike Breen and Michael Wilbon – both of ESPN. The crew from TNT’s Inside the NBA also won the first Transformative Media Award.