New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Pierce, Cooper, Bosh lead class of finalists for 2021 hoop hall of fame
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce, “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers star Michael Cooper and 11-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh lead a list of 14 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
The list announced Tuesday features six other firsttime finalists: former NBA coach Rick Adelman, twotime NCAA champion and Villanova coach Jay Wright, two-time Olympic gold medalist Yolanda Griffith, three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson and former WNBA coach of the year Marianne Stanley, plus Hall of Famer Bill Russell for inclusion as a coach.
Russell, who won 11 NBA titles while playing for the Celtics, became the NBA’s first Black head coach in 1966 while he was still a player. He led Boston to back-to-back NBA titles in 1967-68 and 1968-69 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1975.
Rounding out the list of finalists are Leta Andrews, the all-time winningest high school coach, male or female; Michigan “Fab
Five” member Chris Webber; 2000 Olympic gold medalist Tim Hardaway; five-time NBA All-Star Marques Johnson and fourtime NBA defensive player of the year Ben Wallace.
The Class of 2021 will be announced on May 16. The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for September in Springfield. The exact date has not been released.
The Class of 2020 ceremony, headlined by the late Lakers star Kobe Bryant, was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been rescheduled for May 14-16 in Uncasville, Conn.
Former Masters champion Patrick Reed will be making his 10th consecutive appearance at the Travelers Championship this June. Travelers announced the commitment of the world’s eighthranked player on Tuesday morning.
Reed, 30, won the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, his ninth victory on the PGA Tour. His lone major championship came at the 2018 Masters.
Andy Bessette, the executive vice president and chief administrative officer at Travelers, told Hearst Connecticut Mediai n February that he had texted Reed after winning the Farmers tournament and, in addition to texting back thanks, Reed also said, “See you in June.”
Reed’s best finish in his previous nine appearances at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell is a tie for fifth place in 2017. He represented the United
States on the last three Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams.
“From winning the Masters to playing on Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams, Patrick has amassed an impressive golf resume, and we’re pleased to see that he’s decided to be part of our field,” Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube said in the release put out by Travelers. “He has been loyal to our event for the last decade, and it will be great to see him once again in Cromwell.”
Reed joins world No. 1 and reigning Masters champion Dustin Johnson and sixth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau, the reigning U.S. Open champion and the winner of this pas weekend’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, already in the field.