Vince Carter, Chauncy Billups and Seimone Augustus named among finalists for this year’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement

NBA icons Vince Carter, Chauncey Billups and WNBA legend Seimone Augustus were named among 14 finalists for this year’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Also nominated were former Los Angeles Lakers guard Michael Cooper, Phoenix Suns all-time leading scorer Walter Davis, former Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan, and three contributor nominees: former player and coach Doug Collins, Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon and NBA legend Jerry West, who was signed as a player in 1980.

Other finalists include Charles Smith, the winningest high school head coach in Louisiana history; former Kansas coach Marian Washington; Australian guard Michele Timms; three-time NAIA champion at Tennessee A&I Dick Barnett; and six-time AAU champion coach Harley Redin.

Washington, Redin and Timms are all already in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Timms is also a member of the FIBA ​​Hall of Fame.

“Unbelievable,” Carter said. “You look in the crowd, you see Hall of Famers, and the opportunity… I mean, you can’t beat that. You can’t beat that. It’s a proud moment.’

Chauncey Billups and Seimone Augustus also top the list of finalists for this year’s class

Considered one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history, Carter played 22 NBA seasons, the most in league history.

Billups was nicknamed ‘Mr. Big Shot” during his career for his numerous appearances with the Detroit Pistons, earning multiple accolades during his 17-year career.

He was named MVP of the 2004 NBA Finals after the Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers during the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal era, and was a five-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive Team selection.

Billups is now the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers.

Originally selected No. 1 overall by the Minnesota Lynx in 2006, Augustus became a four-time WNBA champion and eight-time All-Star after winning Rookie of the Year in her first campaign.

She now coaches for the United States women’s basketball team.

‘Every year is new. Every year is different. We are very pleased with this group,” said Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “And hopefully we’re going to have great results on the voting front.”

Record-breaking Wisconsin Badgers basketball coach Bo Ryan was also among the finalists

That voting will take place in the coming weeks, with the Class of 2024 set to be unveiled at the Final Four in Phoenix on April 6. The class will be recorded on August 17 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Colangelo said he was pleased with the diversity within the group of finalists – men, women, big-name players and coaches from small colleges.

“It is an honor that reflects not only individual greatness, but also the long-lasting impact on the game itself,” Colangelo said of his finalist. “From the strategic brilliance of coaches to the unparalleled abilities of players and the influential roles of a coach-announcer, a valued owner and a dynasty-building executive, each finalist embodies the pinnacle of basketball excellence.”

The nominees were announced in December. Among those who didn’t make it this year – Penny Hardaway, and the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, dubbed the “Redeem Team,” after winning gold in Beijing, four years after the Americans finished third at the Athens Games .