The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame has announced eight women who will comprise the Class of 2026.
The eight women are:
Candace Parker: Known as the “Ace”, Parker is one of the most successful basketball players in history. A two-time NCAA Champion and two-time John Wooden Award winner at Tennessee, Parker was the first pick in the 2008 Draft, where the Los Angeles Sparks took her. The Power Forward helped L.A. win the 2016 WNBA Title, and won two MVPs there, and later on would win two more WNBA Titles, one with Chicago and another with Las Vegas. She also won a Defensive Player of the Year Award, was a seven-time First Team All-WNBA Selection, a three-time Rebounding Leader, a two-time Blocks leader, and was named to the WNBA 20th and 25th Anniversary Teams. Internationally, she won two Gold Medals (2008 & 2012) for the United States.
Elena Delle Donne: A NCAA Scoring Champion at Delaware, Delle Donne split her WNBA career with the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics, winning an MVP each with both teams. A WNBA Champion with Washington in 2019, Delle Donne was a four-time First Team All-WNBA player, and won Olympic Gold with the U.S. in 2016.
Cheryl Reeve: The current Head Coach of the Minnesota Lynx, Reeve has held that position since 2010, and has taken her club to four WNBA Titles, while winning two WNBA Coach of the Year Awards. She also took over as Minnesota’s General Manager in 2017, then as President of Basketball Operations in 2022, and is a two-time WNBA Executive of the Year. She also boasts an Olympic Gold Medal as the American Head Coach at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Isabelle Fijalkowski: From France, Fijalkowski played two years in the WNBA, but her professional career was mainly in France, where she helped her respective teams win five League Cups. Internationally, she helped France win the 2001 EuroBasket Gold and Silver in 1993 and 1999.
Amaya Valderomo: Valderomo played three seasons in the WNBA, all with the Houston Comets, and helped that team win league titles in all three. Playing the rest of her pro career in Europe, the native Spaniard won eight Spanish League Championships and, for her country, one Gold, one Silver, and three Bronzes at EuroBasket. She also helped Spain win Bronze in the 2010 Worlds.
Kim Muhl: Muhl was the Head Coach at Kirkwood Community College, where he won over 1,000 Games.
Barbara Kennedy-Dixon: Kennedy was a two-time All-American at Clemson, where she was the inaugural NCAA Women’s Scoring Champion (1982). Her number was retired by the university.
Doris Burke: Burke became not only the most successful female basketball commentator, but one of the most successful basketball commentators, period.
This group of women will be inducted on June 27.
We here at notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending inductees to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
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