LOS ANGELES—Former star NBA point guards Steve Nash and Jason Kidd head the list of first-time eligible candidates for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2018, the organization said Thursday.
Canada’s Nash, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player with the Phoenix Suns, ranks third in the NBA history with 10,335 assists.
Kidd, the current coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, ranks second in assists (12,091) and career triple-doubles (107).
Ray Allen, the all-time leader in career three-point baskets (2,973), is another first-time candidate.
Other NBA stars eligible for the first time include Grant Hill, Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton.
Current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon is one of the first-time eligible women’s candidates. Hammon and fellow first-time candidate Katie Smith (current coach of the New York Liberty) were college and WNBA stars.
Finalists will be announced during NBA All-Star Weekend, February 16-18.
The Class of 2018 will be unveiled during the Final Four collegiate basketball semi-finals in San Antonio, Texas.
Meanwhile, TJ Warren scored 27 points and Troy Daniels drained the go-ahead three-pointer with 17 seconds to play as the Suns downed the Memphis Grizzlies 97-95.
A Suns turnover gave the Grizzlies a last chance to win, but Tyreke Evans missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
