WNBA Legends Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles Joining Howard, Anthony in Hall of Fame

After the news that Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard will be part of the Basketball Hall of Fame’s class of 2025, it was announced on Saturday who will be joining the former NBA stars in Springfield.

Former WNBA stars Maya Moore (6-time All-Star, 4-time champion, 2014 MVP), Sue Bird (13-time All-Star, 4-time champion, 3-time assist leader), and Sylvia Fowles (8-time All-Star, 2-time champion, 2-time WNBA Finals MVP, 2017 MVP, 4-time Defensive Player of the Year, 3-time rebounding champion and 2-time block champion) will also be enshrined in September.

Moore was the first overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft out of UConn, where she was a 2-time Naismith College Player of the Year (2009, 2011), 2-time John Wooden Award winner (2009, 2011) and a 2-time NCAA champion (2009, 2010). In 2010, she was the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.

Moore is a native of Jefferson City, Mo., and played her high school ball in Suwanee, Ga. In addition to her WNBA success, she also won two EuroLeague championships. She averaged 18.4 points per game in her WNBA career, with a career-high 23.9 points per game in 2014.

Bird retired in 2022 at age 41, with career averages of 11.7 points and 5.6 assists. Spending her entire career with the Seattle Storm, she is known as one of the greatest guards in WNBA history.

From 2000-02, Bird won the Nancy Lieberman Award, given to college basketball’s top collegiate women’s point guard. Also a UConn alum, Bird won the 2000 and 2002 NCAA titles with the Huskies. She was both Big East Player of the Year and AP College Player of the Year in 2002. The Syosset, NY native was also a 5-time EuroLeague champion.

Fowles averaged 15.7 points and 9.8 rebounds in her WNBA career, suiting up for the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx. In her 2017 MVP season, she averaged 18.9 points and 10.4 rebounds.

A Miami native, Fowles played at Louisiana State University, garnering 1st team All-America, SEC Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. She also won three Turkish Cups, two EuroLeague titles, two Europe SuperCups, and was a two-time WCBA champion.

Joining the five players as part of the 2025 class is the 2008 USA men’s basketball Redeem Team, former referee Danny Crawford, former player and head coach Billy Donovan, and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison.

Donovan, as head coach of the University of Florida, won back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007, and four SEC championships (2005-07, 2014). He coached the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2015-2020, and is the current head coach of the Chicago Bulls. As a player, he played for the New York Knicks in 1987-88, between seasons with the CBA’s former Wyoming Wildcatters and Rapid City Thrillers.

Crawford was an NBA official from 1984-2017, and in 2016 was voted by players to be the league’s best official.

Arison, who is the chairman and founder of Carnival Cruise Lines, has owned the Heat since 1995.

Congratulations to all on their impending inductions into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.