McGrady, Webber, Moncrief headline Hall of Fame finalists

NEW YORK: Two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady, two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Sidney Moncrief and five-time All-Star Chris Webber were among 14 Basketball Hall of Fame finalists named on Saturday.

Finalists need 18 of 24 votes from the Hall’s honors committee for election into the Hall of Fame.

Inductees will be named on April 3 in Phoenix, Arizona, with enshrinement on Sept 7-9 at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

All three retired NBA standouts are among nine first-time finalists on a list that also includes, among others, two-time NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich.

Prior finalists being considered again include five-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist Tim Hardaway and one team — 10-time US national women’s champion Wayland Baptist University.

“We are grateful to the 14 finalists in the Class of 2017 for the impact they have had on the game we cherish,” said Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo.

“We are proud to honor those who have shaped our game over the years.”

McGrady, a seven-time NBA All-Star, played for seven NBA clubs from 1997 to 2013. He won the 2001 NBA Most Improved Player Award and the NBA scoring crown in 2003 and 2004 while with the Orlando Magic.

McGrady was also named a Chinese Basketball Association All-Star in 2013 with Qingdao Double-Star Eagles and ended his career with San Antonio in a 2013 NBA Finals loss to Miami.

Moncrief, a five-time All-Star, played for the Milwaukee Bucks from 1979 to 1990 before one last NBA campaign with the Atlanta Hawks. He was the 1983 and 1984 Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 15.6 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Webber, the 1994 NBA Rookie of the Year, played for five NBA teams, topping the league in rebounds in the 1998-99 season with Sacramento.