Parker leads 2026 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame induction class

Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, and Cheryl Reeve headline the 2026 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class, announced Thursday. They’ll be inducted alongside international stars Isabelle Fijalkowski of France and Amaya Valdemoro of Spain, Kirkwood Community College coach Kim Muhl, former Clemson standout Barbara Kennedy-Dixon, and ESPN broadcaster Doris Burke on June 27. “We are honored to recognize eight extraordinary figures in women’s basketball,” Hall of Fame president Dana Hart said. “Each has made a lasting impact on the game and helped shape its history.”

Parker, one of the most accomplished players in basketball history, won three WNBA championships with three different teams and earned two Olympic gold medals. Delle Donne, who retired earlier this year, is a two-time WNBA MVP and a seven-time All-Star, having led the Washington Mystics to their 2019 title. She now serves as USA Basketball’s 3x3 national team director. Reeve has been a dominant coaching force with the Minnesota Lynx, guiding them to four WNBA championships while earning four WNBA Coach of the Year honors, two Executive of the Year awards, and leading Team USA to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Burke, a trailblazing broadcaster, has been a prominent voice at ESPN since 1991, covering the NCAA Tournament, WNBA, men’s college basketball, and the NBA, and eventually joining ESPN’s lead NBA broadcast team in 2023. Valdemoro won three WNBA titles with the Houston Comets and eight Spanish League championships, while representing Spain in two Olympic Games. Fijalkowski captured five French League crowns and played for the Cleveland Rockers in the WNBA. Muhl, who has spent nearly four decades coaching at Kirkwood, boasts over 1,000 career wins and nine national titles. Kennedy-Dixon, a Clemson legend, became the first NCAA Division I women’s basketball scoring leader in 1982, marking a historic moment in the sport’s evolution.