PIERCE LEADS NOMINEES FOR HALL

Ten-time NBA All-Star Paul Pierce and player and coach Doug Collins highlight the first-time nominees for the 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class. Other first-time eligible candidates include NBA defensive standout Michael Cooper, WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson, college coaches Lou Henson and Leonard Hamilton, as well as former WNBA president Val Ackerman. Among those back on the ballot are former NBA players Chauncey Billups, ex-Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Chris Webber, college coaches Bob Huggins and Jay Wright and former WNBA stars Swin Cash and Becky Hammon. Pierce, pictured, spent 15 of his 19 NBA seasons (1998-2017) with the Boston Celtics and ranks 19th all-time with 26,397 points. He was NBA Finals MVP in 2008 when the Celtics won the title. The 2021 class is currently scheduled to be enshrined in Springfield, Mass., in September.