Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Grant Hill have been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame according to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski. The rest of the inductees in Class of 2018 include Maurice Cheeks, basketball executive Rod Thorn and WNBA legend Tina Thompson. The full list of Class of 2018 inductees will be revealed on Saturday during the Final Four tournament in San Antonio.
Among the this year’s finalists for induction in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame were also Ray Allen, Chris Webber, Rudy Tomjanovich, Charles Driesell, Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, Katie Smith, NBA official Hugh Evans and the 1953-58 Wayland Baptist University teams.
Jason Kidd played 19 years in the NBA and ended his career on the second spot among the NBA’s assist leaders. He was ten-time NBA All-Star, nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team, and a five-time All-NBA First Team while winning an NBA Championship in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks. He also shared NBA Rookie of the Year with his fellow Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Grant Hill. Kidd also worked as head coach in the NBA, serving with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Steve Nash spent 18 seasons in the NBA, during which he was named NBA MVP on two occasions. He also had eight All-Star appearances and received All-NBA First Team honors three times. He finds himself behind Jason Kidd on the NBA’s assist leaders list.
Grant Hill was considered one of the best players who played college basketball. He was known for his all-around game and showed real promise when he was drafted in the NBA by Detroit Pistons. After averaging 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in his first six seasons in the league, the rest of his career was plagued with injuries and he never managed to get it back on the track. During his career, he made seven All-Star appearances and received All-NBA First Team honors in 1997.
