Springfield, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the list of Hall of Famers who will present this year’s class at the 2019 Enshrinement Ceremony. The special event will be held Friday, September 6th at Springfield Symphony Hall.
Members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 were asked to select a previous inductee(s) to accompany and present them to their peers. The choice is solely the decision of the incoming Hall of Famer. More than 50 Hall of Famers are expected to be in attendance for this year’s ceremony, including all presenters.
The Class of 2019 inductees two-time NBA Coach of the Year Bill Fitch, eight-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member Bobby Jones, five-time NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief, seven-time NBA All-Star Jack Sikma, five-time WNBA All-Star Teresa Weatherspoon, five-time NBA All-Star Paul Westphal and the first men’s collegiate team to win back-to-back-to-back Championships, the Tennessee A&I Teams of 1957-1959.
Distinguished committees focused on preserving all areas from the game also selected Al Attles from the Contributor Committee, Charles “Chuck” Cooper from the Early African American Pioneers Committee, Vlade Divac from the International Committee, Carl Braun from the Veterans Committee and the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens of 1948-1982 from the newly instated Women’s Veterans Committee.
The 2019 Inductees and Presenters are:
Al Attles, presented by Rick Barry (’87)
Carl Braun, presented by David Stern (’14)
Chuck Cooper, presented by Bill Russell (‘75), Elgin Baylor (‘77), Tom Heinsohn (’86), Julius Erving (’93), Kareem Abdul Jabbar (‘95), Larry Bird (’98), Isiah Thomas (‘00), Dominique Wilkins (‘06), Mannie Jackson (‘17), and Ray Allen (‘18)
Vlade Divac, presented by Jerry West (’80)
Bill Fitch, presented by Larry Bird (’98)
Bobby Jones, presented by Billy Cunningham (’86) and David Thompson (’96)
Sidney Moncrief, presented by Bob Lanier (‘92) and Don Nelson (‘12)
Jack Sikma, presented by Lenny Wilkens (‘89), Kareem Abdul Jabbar (’95) and Wayne Embry (‘99)
Tennessee A&I, presented Jerry West (‘80)
Wayland Baptist, presented by Luisa Harris Stewart (‘92), and Nancy Lieberman (‘96)
Teresa Weatherspoon, presented by Cynthia Cooper (‘10), Sheryl Swoopes (‘16), and Tina Thompson (‘18)
Paul Westphal, presented by Elgin Baylor (’77) and Charles Barkley (’06)
For more information on Enshrinement Tickets, please call the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Ticket Office at (413) 231-5513 or visit www.hoophall.com. Tickets are available for multiple events throughout the weekend at varying price points. Each ticket price includes a tax-deductible donation to benefit the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Inc., a 501 ©(3) non-profit organization.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #19HoopClass or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.