Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore headline 2025 Hal

By Rob Peterson, Jenna West and Rebecca Tauber

Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles capped off their illustrious careers by being named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class announced at the men’s Final Four in San Antonio on Saturday.

Advertisement

“It’s such a big honor. I’m just so happy, man, this is crazy. I made it to heaven,” Howard said as he teared up in an interview on ESPN after the announcement.

The 2025 class also includes coach Billy Donovan, who won two national championships at Florida and is the current longtime coach of the Chicago Bulls; longtime NBA referee Danny Crawford, who officiated more than 2,000 NBA games over 32 seasons, including 30 finals games; and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, who has seen his franchise win three titles (2006, 2012, 2013) and seven Eastern Conference championships, including four consecutive from 2011 to 2014. The 2008 “Redeem Team” that took gold at the Beijing Olympics will also be inducted.

Jeff Twiss, the Boston Celtics’ longtime public relations executive, received the John Bunn Award, the Hall’s single-highest award short of enshrinement in the Hall itself. He’s been with the franchise for more than 40 years and is regarded as one of the great professionals on his side of the player-media divide.

Melo doesn’t need an NBA title to enter the Hall

There had been recent online scuttlebutt regarding Anthony’s Hall of Fame credentials because he had never won an NBA title. (He never appeared in an NBA Finals, let alone won a ring.)

Advertisement

But let’s be real here: Anthony entering the Hall of Fame on his first try shouldn’t surprise anyone who paid attention. In 2003, he was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player before leading Syracuse to its only men’s NCAA title. Selected third in the legendary 2003 NBA Draft, Anthony…