23-year Hall of Fame Introducer List: Iverson helps Wade Spurs GDP reunites Popovich

On July 13, Beijing time, the Naismith Hall of Fame officially announced the list of referrals for the 23-year Hall of Fame finalists. Under Hall of Fame rules, each new inductee is required to have at least one referrer to speak for the inductee at the induction ceremony. Among them, Iverson became Wade's introduction, Gasol was introduced by Tony Kukoc, and the Spurs GDP combination Duncan, Ginobili and Parker joined David Robinson to become Popovich's introduction.

Wade's eventual choice of Iverson as his referrer was somewhat surprising. In the Hall of Fame list, his mentor Pat Riley, former teammates O'Neal, Bosh and others are very suitable to be Wade's referrers, and Iverson has no experience of teaming up with Wade in his career. But both have been the strongest defenders in the East, and both are known for their speed, and they are also the representatives of the No. 3 jersey, both of which are famous legendary shooting guards in history. Iverson is definitely qualified to be Wade's introducer, and Wade's choice is also a bit heroic.

Nowitzki, a Lone Ranger legend, chose two former teammates, Nash and Kidd, as his introductions. Nash worked with Nowitzki as teammates for 6 seasons starting in '98, accompanying Nowitzki through the early stages of his career, and the two have maintained a deep friendship. Kidd, on the other hand, was a teammate of Nowitzki in '08-'12, and the two teamed together to win the first title in the history of the Mavericks in '11.

Lakers legend Gasol chose Bulls star Tony Kukoc as his introduction. Gasol, like Kukoc, is a representative player in Europe and has a similar history of success from Europe to the NBA. Both were named to the NBA's all-time European Team last year, with Gasol as a first-team player and Kukoc as a second-team player. Perhaps the most regrettable thing for Gasol was not being able to make Bryant his introduction.

Also inducted into the Hall of Fame is Spurs legend Tony Parker, whose introductions are his former good teammates Duncan and Ginobili, which is also the most suitable introduction for Parker. The trio teamed up from the 02-03 season to win four championship trophies for the Spurs, and they are also a famous "GDP combination", and all three have been retired by the Spurs.

Interestingly, Parker's mentor Popovich was also inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Unlike a player, a coach does not need to retire for 5 years to qualify for the Hall of Fame, as long as he has 25 years of coaching experience, so Popovich, who also coached the Spurs, was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. Popovich's referral team was luxurious, with the GDP duo and David Robinson, who accompanied him to five championship victories. This means that the Spurs Meritorious 5 legends will be reunited at this year's Hall of Fame.

The specific list of Hall of Fame inductees is as follows (parentheses indicate the year the referrer was inducted into the Hall of Fame):

Becky Harmon (WNBA player): Shelley Spuus (16), Theresa Witherspoon (19)

David Hickson (NCAA coach): Jim Cajon (05), John Calipari (15)

Dirk Nowitzki (NBA player): Jason Kidd (18), Steve Nash (18)

Wade (NBA player): Iverson (16)

Gary Blair (NCAA coach): Theresa Witherspoon (19), Van Chancellor (07)

Gene Bess (NCAA coach): Bosh (21), John Calipari (15), Roy Williams (07)

Gene Giddy (NCAA coach): Jerry Colangelo (04), Tom Izzo (16)

Popovich (NBA coach): David Robinson (09), Ginobili (22), Duncan (20), Tony Parker (23)

Jim Valvano (NCAA coach): John Calipari (15)

Gasol (NBA player): Tony Kukoc (21)

Tony Parker (NBA player): Ginobili (22), Duncan (20)

The inauguration ceremony for the 23-year Hall of Fame members will be held on August 13 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Beijing time.