Iowa's Don Nelson Honored at Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed its Class of 2026 on Saturday, and for Iowa sports fans, the ceremony carried special meaning. The weekend's most emotional tributes centered on Don Nelson, the Hall of Fame coach who played his college ball at the University of Iowa and died Sunday at age 86.
Nelson, who grew up outside Chicago, competed against Hall chairman Jerry Colangelo for decades. Colangelo played at Illinois while Nelson starred at Iowa, and their rivalry continued through years as NBA coaches and team builders.
“We had known each other nearly 70 years,” Colangelo said during the In Memoriam segment, which took on added weight with Nelson's passing just days before the ceremony.
Doc Rivers recalls practicing with Bucks under Nelson
Doc Rivers, inducted as a coach, shared a story about his college days at Marquette when Nelson coached the Milwaukee Bucks. Rivers admitted he practiced with the NBA team illegally during his freshman and sophomore years.
“It probably was the most illegal thing Nellie did,” Rivers said. “Dave Wohl was an assistant for Nellie, Dave would pick me up and I'd literally practice with the Bucks.”
Rivers said facing players like Sidney Moncrief, Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman and Brian Winters gave him pause about his NBA prospects.
“I was more athletic than some of them, that made me feel good,” he added.
1996 women's Olympic team honored as trailblazers
The 1996 USA women's national team received group enshrinement for its Olympic gold in Atlanta and its lasting impact on women's sports. Dawn Staley, a player on that squad and later South Carolina's coach, said the honor was overdue.
“Our '96 team was full of players who really understood the assignment,” Staley said. “They understood who was a part of getting us to that point, the Lynette Woodards, Nancy Liebermans who really paved the way to strike when the iron was hot.”
New Hall of Famers Candace Parker, Chamique Holdsclaw and Elena Delle Donne credited that team with inspiring their careers.
“I remember being 10 years old, on the couch, watching the Olympics,” Parker said. “Watching the U.S. team dominate. They're the reason the game exists today.”
Mark Few's unlikely path to Gonzaga success
Gonzaga coach Mark Few, inducted after building a 773-156 record with 26 NCAA tournament appearances, revealed he was once rejected for the head coaching job at his own high school in Creswell, Oregon.
“I felt great about my chances,” Few said. “Not only because I was the assistant coach, but the local superintendent played cards with my dad, who was the town's minister. My mom was the town nurse. It seemed like I was a shoo-in. Well, I got shot down. And here I am, so go figure.”
Amar'e Stoudemire's faith-filled final chapter
Six-time All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire ended his playing career in Israel, winning championships with Hapoel Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He obtained Israeli citizenship in 2019 and converted to Orthodox Judaism in 2020.
“The journey will take you down paths you don't first see,” Stoudemire said.
Parker's special bond with Dwyane Wade
Parker, the night's final speaker, had a star-studded group of presenters including Cheryl Miller, Allen Iverson, Tamika Catchings and Dwyane Wade. She called Wade “like a brother” and thanked her knees for surviving 10 surgeries.
“Being a teammate now in our post-careers, at TNT and at Amazon, yeah, he's been somebody who has always been on the sideline celebrating me,” Parker said.
Mike D'Antoni found confidence overseas
Mike D'Antoni entered the Hall as a contributor for his revolutionary “7 Seconds or Less” offense in Phoenix. But the Marshall product struggled in his four NBA seasons before finding stardom in Italy, where he played 17 seasons with Olimpia Milano.
“Confidence,” D'Antoni said when asked what changed. “Some place in my journey trying to make it in the NBA I lost my confidence. I was at ground zero and I didn't know if I'd ever make it.”
An American coach in Italy, Dan Peterson, restored his belief.
“He really believed in me and stuck with me,” D'Antoni said. “By the time we got done, we won all kinds of stuff, he had given me the confidence that, yeah, I can do this.”
Joey Crawford can't escape Tim Duncan question
Referee Joey Crawford, inducted after a 30-year NBA career, still fields questions about his infamous 2007 ejection of Tim Duncan. The incident led to Crawford's suspension and counseling ordered by then-commissioner David Stern.
Crawford said fans approach him everywhere, even in Budapest. He recalled helping an elderly woman cross a street in New York recently.
“I said, 'Look, I gotcha,'” Crawford said. “We get almost across the street and she says to me, 'I watch a lot of the NBA.' I said 'Yeah?' She goes, 'What did Duncan do?'”
What does the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 mean for Iowa?
For Iowa basketball fans, Nelson's legacy stands out. The Hawkeye alum won 1,335 games as an NBA coach, third all-time, and was inducted into the Hall in 2012. His death marks the end of an era for a coach whose career touched generations of players and coaches.
The Class of 2026 also included WNBA stars Candace Parker, Chamique Holdsclaw and Elena Delle Donne, Gonzaga's Mark Few, referee Joey Crawford, and the 1996 USA women's Olympic team.